Harry Kicks Ass (Literally)
by differentversionsofharry
Summary: After blowing up Aunt Marge, Harry is not welcome at the Dursley Household after his third year. A chance meeting with Professor Lupin in Diagon Alley leads Harry to a new summer home, allowing him to rebuild himself mentally and physically. With new skills and new friends, Harry takes on the adventures of The Goblet of Fire to become more than just the Boy-Who-Lived.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Author's Note

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD, if you just want to get into the story based on the tags and description skip ahead**

**A/N: I am not a fan of long author's notes. However, I would be doing you a disservice by not giving you some heads up here. If you don't want my opinion on some of the characters or if you want the rest of this story to be a surprise (I will in no way be offended, what I wouldn't give to read some of my favorite books again for the first time), then feel free to skip ahead to chapter 2.**

**I did not think I would ever write a story. Kudos to my college creative writing class to forcing me to take chances in the past. That's why I'm giving this a go. I really value constructive criticism and will try to respond as much as possible, but unfortunately I do have a full time job that takes a lot of my time.**

**Knowledge necessary: A Basic understanding of Books 1-4. Or at least the first half of Book 4. Knowledge of the broader Harry Potter world based on the movies and/or books will serve you well, but I don't think it is necessary at the moment. Fair warning, I will drop a lot of names very quickly as the story picks up. Lots of the minor characters don't have real personalities in the movies, but hypothetically Lavender Brown might very different from how the movie portrays her (ok tbh that isn't a hypothetical. She will appear and will be different).**

**Since there will be a lot of time jumps, anytime the time changes in a chapter or there is a flashback, there will be an indicator. I will give little time headers.**

**Harry: God, he can so relentlessly negative. To be fair, he has a lot of dumped on him. If I was 14, I probably would break down the moment my first spell didn't work. He will be a bit happy and quippy in the first chapter. But that is where he is going, so if that turns you off I probably wouldn't keep going. He will have downswings and trouble with his emotions, it would be nearly impossible not to have them given the shit he has and will go through. He is a powerful wizard and his "extra" training will only make him more formidable so if you want a story with a regular powered Harry this is not for you. He has to beat Voldemort, and I won't have any kind priori incantatem.**

**Hermione: She is the absolute best. She has always been Harry's best friend and will be referred to and treated as such. When it comes to her relationships, while I am technically a Harmony shipper (SPOILER: This story will not be a Harmony Pairing so if you are looking for that I'd stop now-END SPOILER), the Harry in the books and movies doesn't deserve her. I don't know that a character in the Harry Potter Universe deserves her. But how Hermione chooses to marry the guy who would keep and use the elder wand I will never know. Speaking of the guy she would marry…**

**Ron Weasley: Ron and Harry do not work as a friendship, and I don't like him. I wouldn't call my plan Ron-Bashing, more like he will really not be around a lot. I stand by this decision. He does have some absolutely awful traits that are key to his character. Go back and read what the locket is telling Ron before they destroy it in the Deathly Hallows. Or if you prefer the films, the end of DH part 2 when Harry destroys the Elder wand, look at how Hermione reacts to both Harry's actions and Ron's desire to have the wand. And then go back and burn the Deathly Hallows and both films. I'd throw the ash from the epilogue in the nearest body of water to make sure it never comes back. I have not seen or engaged in any way with the Cursed Child, and I never will, despite the wonderful reviews.**

**Other Weasleys: **

**Charlie Weasley: Interesting character to mention, I know. But he is fascinating and, in my opinion, does not get nearly enough page or screen time. He will be around, and I will find a way to keep him in England, even if Romania is awesome.**

**Mr. and Ms. Weasley: They might be a little too deep in Dumbledore's camp, but they are genuinely nice people who really care about their kids and Harry**

**The Twins: The new marauders who are good friends to Harry**

**Ginny and Bill: Who?**

**Percy: Right prat, but even more of a who?…for now**

**Neville Longbottom: A much better heart than Ron. One of my favorite characters, and I think the truest Gryffindor. He will feature and may or may not become Harry's best mate.**

**Dumbledore (SPOILERS): A nasty manipulator who wants Harry to be a weapon, not a person. Too much never adds up. Ever since someone pointed out the inconsistency with the timeline and his supposed actions at Privet Drive, I have not been a fan. That's nitpicking, but if you don't that [and one of my beta's doesn't], too bad. But I think before GoF, Harry has complete trust in him. He did essentially tell him how to save Sirius. His version of the greater good sounds an awful lot like some dictators. I think he is almost as big a git as Snape. Though he will not be major for quite a while. None of this changes the fact that he is the most knowledgeable and powerful wizard in Europe and is the leader of the light, even if the light is his version. I think that he does care about Harry and regrets how he treated him at the end but is so committed to his cause and world view nothing else matters. (END SPOILERS)**

**Severus Snape: No redemption, huge dick.**

**Remus (Moony) Lupin: He clearly loves Harry, and I want him to distinguish Harry from James, and what better way to do that then include one of James's best friend.**

**Sirius: I like his relationship with Harry, and feel that if he gets cleared he could be a great mentor. Wouldn't it be great if that happened? But what would their relationship be like if he wasn't and we had a little different backstory from him?**

**Luna Lovegood: Is she Loony, or is she genius? I do know she is one of the best and most loyal friends you could care about. It is tragic that the movie never shows the picture on Luna's ceiling.**

**Cedric Diggory: (MAJOR SPOILERS (SKIP THIS DESCRIPTION IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS, THIS IS BY FAR MY BIGGEST SPOILER) The death that upset me most, though there is a case for Dobby. I will keep him alive, I can promise that right now. He will not have a chance to be a sparkly vampire. Why will become apparent sooner rather than later. (END SPOILERS)**

**The Hayashi family and Nambung: I will keep the O/C to a minimum, but I expect one or two other ones to pop up as well even if they won't be as prominent as our resident Asian Wizards. I also understand that Asian Wizards with martial arts are a bit cliché and could even be construed as typecasting and conforming to stereotypes, but I learned all my martial arts from my Korean friends so bite me.**

**Other Characters: The reason I made this is because everyone above could probably be characterized as major in both books and films, so you deserve to know ahead of time if you don't like one of my springboard ideas. I guarantee other characters will appear, and quite a few will be critical to the story, but these characters are mostly blank checks that I will fill in how I so please.**

**Canon- Outside of a few important scenes from GoF (you can probably guess), near instant divergence.**

**Writing Style: As you might guess from my character profiles, I hide a lot of information. Things will be revealed over time, and I will use flashbacks if I do long time skips, one of which will be right at the beginning. This is not for everyone, but if you like the characters and the general plot I think the flashbacks will be fun.**

**Relationships: This story is from Harry's perspective at the beginning. Eventually the writing will become a narrative style when you can see everyone thoughts because of the amount of characters. The relationships that the characters, specifically Harry builds, both philia and romantic are key to the story. I figure that this will be both romance and friendship, a little light on the action and conflict. I'll give it my best shot of trying to balance it all. As of writing this, I have not determined who Harry will be with yet. Odds are, when it is settled it won't be clear. At the beginning I will be focusing on building a wide friend group around Harry, especially when some characters who I do not mention in this author's note arrive. I'm sure Harry will develop a relationship with a significant other, but he is 14 during the GoF, so it will take time. And last I checked, very few 14-year olds marry their first significant others, even if people in the magical world seem to marry insanely early. But whoever it is, Harry seems like a guy who will knuckle under to keep his significant other happy in real life. That's no fun, so that won't happen. Guess the other note on relationships is ratings based, and while I don't expect this to become M rated from relationships (it might be M based on other factors), I can't make any promises. I'll probably set it to M to be safe, thought it probably rates as a T. Final relationship info is that I am going to keep this monogamous. While there a bunch of relationships that I think can work with the idealized version I will use of Harry, I don't know if I love the non-monogamy angle. It occasionally works for me in other stories, especially if Sirius dies, it makes a little more sense, but if Sirius sticks around then I don't really follow, so one partner per character at a time.**

**Story: I think there are certain things that absolutely need to happen, and I think I would be doing Ms. Rowling a disservice if I did not use GoF as a basic framework. Voldemort is an excellent villain, to give credit where credit is due. But especially if you start in GoF, there is no concrete villain besides the challenges Harry faces as he grows up. Outside of a few limited events and the backstory of books 1-3, I will obviously do different things and ignore minor details I simply don't care about.**

**Power: Harry will certainly develop powers related to magic. But one of the key ideas in this story is that there a lot of ways to fight that Harry doesn't need a wand to do. His power will grow a lot every year, but he will learn some unique skills, magical and otherwise.**

**My grammar has not gotten better since I failed a test in 9****th**** grade. I will make typos. I'm not perfect, and I don't think life would be all that fun if I was. If you want to point something out, that's totally fine, and I appreciate it. If I get multiple comments about something really screwing up comprehension, I will try and go back and change it. I understand the community etiquette of and while spellcheck is fairly easy (not always for terms that J.K. Rowling created), grammar is a little harder. I may have extra commas but I am trying my best.**

**I should also divulge that my chapters will not vary dramatically in length, and I expect most of them to best defined as "not short", but "not long". The amount of important name characters will be a bit of a name dump at the beginning with familiar names, and then will slow down but by the later chapters there will be a lot of familiar faces, though very few OCs. Compared to Fanfics of similar length, there will be much shorter but more chapters to allow for faster updates.**

**I wrote this with a story and outline in mind, but as I post this I am a little more than halfway done, so while this is mostly correct, there will be slight deviations. I am a big fan of writing outlines, but also a big fan of ignoring them and going in new directions which strike my fancy.**

**Sorry for all that, but I wouldn't want you to waste your time and if something bugs you better to know now rather than chapter 10. There is so much wonderful Harry Potter fanfiction out there no matter what you prefer (I won't even pretend to understand Dramione, but whatever floats your boat). Anyways, hope you managed to get through that. Unless I forced to address something major, I will keep my author's notes as brief as possible, but I do like dropping small stuff in fairly often. Hope you all enjoy the first real chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: Here we go!**

Chapter 2: King's Cross Station

June, 1994

The train pulled up at Kings Cross Station as it had 3 years in a row. Some students were looking forward to the summer with their friends and no school, and some could not wait for September 1st in a few months. And for the 3rd year in a row, Harry closed his eyes in silent frustration. But this year, even though his eyes were closed, a new feeling combined with the frustration, clear only in his tensed muscles. This year, Harry was angry too.

Afraid the entire year that the mysterious Sirius Black was out to kill him, it had been revealed that fugitive Sirius was his godfather. What's more, Sirius would take him away from the miserable Dursley's and would teach him all about magic. He would have a family, even if it was small. Someone who loved him.

That had been ripped away by Snape. Everything went wrong, and now Sirius was on the run, with only a temperamental hippogriff for company. The time he had spent with his godfather was counted in minutes, not days or years. Sirius had promised Harry that his life would be better, and through no fault of his own, he had been forced away. Harry's muscles rippled at the thought of the potions professor who had ruined his life.

Another year in potions, filled with the nasty backhanded comments was frustrating, to say the least. But near the end of the year, to the shock of his best mate and best friend, Harry had started to ignore the youngest Potion Master in years. It was especially fun during the last few classes. Whenever Snape snapped at Harry, he just remembered the feeling he had when Hermione had punched Draco, and the insult rolled over him as if it was a gentle breeze.

But the gears of the train ground to a stop, and Harry was back in the present. Sirius was gone

"Harry, dad is going to try to get us tickets to the quidditch world cup!" Ron told him as they grabbed their trunks from the racks above their seats. "I'll owl you at the end of the summer, and we'll try to get you over to The Burrow. It will be wicked!"

"I'm sure it will be," Harry said with fake enthusiasm. Ron walked out of the carriage, still talking quidditch. Hermione put a hand across the door, stopping Harry from walking out. "Hermione, mind moving your hand?"

"Harry, you look like someone killed your dog," Hermione told him.

"Well, they almost did," Harry snapped. "They might as well have. I probably won't ever see him again." His remark could come out harsher than intended. "I'm sorry Hermione. I'm not mad at you." He could never be mad at her. He hated that Sirius was gone, but if you took away that fact, the night he had rescued Sirius had been the best night of his life. To him, it felt like the night Ron became his best mate, because Hermione was now his best friend.

The firebolt incident was forgotten, especially since Sirius revealed he had actually been the one to purchase the broom, which Harry found extremely funny. After Harry and Hermione had rejoined the normal time stream, he had told her. She had not found it as humorous. But she took everything too seriously.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, the hurt clear on her face. "I wasn't thinking."

"That would be a first," Harry said, which earned him a half grin. He lightly tapped her arm and moved her out of the way, following Ron into the corridor. "I'm sure I'm overreacting. Maybe Dumbledore will take care of it now that he has time. He always takes care of it. He gave us the advice with the time turner, after all."

"Maybe," Hermione said, but Harry could tell she didn't believe him.

"It wasn't all bad," Harry told her, trying to cheer her up. She was clearly still upset by what she had said to Harry, and his reaction. "The ride on Buckbeak was fun, and meeting Prongs was very cool."

"You know I don't like flying," Hermione told him as they stepped off the train.

"And I've always wanted to see him fly!" Ron was saying. He turned around and looked at Harry. "Wouldn't that be bloody brilliant?" Harry and Hermione looked at each other, a little confused. Then Harry realized that Ron had not even registered that Harry and Hermione were 20 seconds behind him. He started to laugh, and as Hermione came to the same realization she laughed a little too.

"Sorry, Ron," Harry said as the laughter stopped as a blush ran up his friend's neck. "I was just thinking about something else. What were you saying?"

"Just something about Bulgaria," Ron said, clearly offended. "Doesn't matter anymore."

"Come on Ron, don't be like that," Harry said, throwing his arm over his best mate's shoulder. "What about Bulgaria? I don't know much about international quidditch. Or any quidditch that is not played at Hogwarts, for that matter."

"Harry, my boy!" Mr. Weasley said, appearing in front of them patting the boy on the back. "I've been doing some work for the Ministry, and I was hoping you could tell me a little about these things they call a Telly?"

"I think you are talking about the television," Harry said, and Mr. Weasley nodded. They walked through the column and Harry patiently explained television to Arthur Weasley. He could barely go a few words without asking a question, and Harry was struck by the weirdness of the magical world again. He knew that magic and electricity did not mix all that well, but for Mr. Weasley to have never seen a television meant he had probably never been to a muggle house.

"My father is going to take us to the quidditch world cup," Draco declared loudly as he walked through the column. He glared at Harry. "What's wrong Potter? Got no father to take you?" Harry sighed and just turned away to answer another question from Mr. Weasley. He absently tightened his arm around Ron's shoulder, knowing without looking that if he was not restrained, Ron Weasley would run at Draco to take a swing at him.

Mr. Weasley turned to admonish Fred and George, who were about enact some prank on a poor first year, and Ron turned to Harry, a little surprised.

"I would have smacked Malfoy in the face after saying that," Ron said, looking at Harry with rage in his eyes. "Why did you stop me?"

"Malfoy isn't worth the effort. I'll give you a tip," Harry told his friend. "Anytime he says something stupid like that, just remember what he looked like when Hermione re-arranged his nose for him." Ron laughed as he thought back to the moment. Harry could tell as Hermione shifted uncomfortably at the memory. "Don't worry Hermione. It was brilliant."

"Well, I shouldn't have resorted to hitting him," Hermione said. "It's not conduct benefitting of Gryffindor."

"Please!" Ron replied. "Before that, we all thought you didn't have any courage at all!" He laughed as he walked after his brothers, who were now ahead of them fleeing from their father's fury. Hermione twisted uncomfortably again.

"Ron never thinks about what he says," Harry told Hermione, trying to make her feel better. "I've known you were a Gryffindor the moment we met in the common room for the first time."

"How?" Hermione asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, I know you probably talked to the sorting hat," Harry said, and Hermione gave a little jolt. "It's ok, I'll keep your secret. It talked to me too. It probably wanted to put you in Ravenclaw, but after you talked to it, must have decided to change you around. Did the same to me too."

"Harry, you are what people had in mind when they created the Gryffindor house!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Don't tell anyone, but the hat thought I would be a good fit for Slytherin," Harry whispered to Hermione.

"Harry!" Hermione was shocked. "That's impossible!"

"True story," Harry said. His voice had not wavered as he told it, so Harry knew that even though Hermione was shocked, she believed him. "It's ok Hermione. It's just another secret that only you know. Well, you and Dumbledore." Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "I always trust you, Hermione. Ever since I drank that potion first year."

"You don't always trust me," Hermione said, sadness seeping into her voice. "What about the broom?"

"Ok, that's fair," Harry admitted. "Even though I think I was mad rather than not trusting you. But it turned out that Sirius had sent the broom, which is pretty funny!" He laughed, but knew Hermione was not happy. He had been teasing her about it for days. Hermione turned away from Harry, and he saw her eyes widen as she saw a middle age couple

"Mom, Dad!" Hermione said, running across the platform and throwing herself into the arms of a tall and lanky man, as a woman with the same brown hair was next to get a big hug.

"We should introduce ourselves," Harry said to Ron, and they both walked over to the Grangers.

"Mum, Dad, these are—"

"Let me guess," Ms. Granger said looking at the two boys. "Ron, right?" She said, pointing at the redhead, who nodded eagerly. "So you must be Harry?" She looked at Harry, who nodded. She had a bit of a frown, and she turned to her husband and whispered something in his ear. Mr. Granger nodded, and he looked at Harry critically. Ron and Hermione were both oblivious to the slight change in demeanor.

It took Harry a moment to figure out why the look on Hermione's parents face was so familiar. Then he placed it. It was a combination of pity and worry, probably generated by letters about his parents and his raggedy appearance. Harry was slightly touched that they would be worried, but also a little angry. They didn't know him, or his life, and now they were judging based on appearance? That was like something Draco did.

"We have heard so many wonderful things about you. Ron, thank you for being such a good friend to our daughter."

"It's nothing, Ms. Granger," Ron said looking away, clearly embarrassed.

"Harry, we owe you a special thank you," Mr. Granger said. "I understand that first year you saved our daughter from a ten-foot troll?"

"Ron was there too," Harry pointed out quickly. The last thing he needed was Ron to get jealous now.

"He was?" Mr. Granger sounded puzzled. He glanced at his wife quickly, who gave a slight shrug, her arm still around her daughter. Ron missed the interaction, but Harry didn't. He glanced at Hermione with a question in his eyes, but she seemed just as confused as him. Then her eyes widened as if she realized something, but she didn't say anything. "Well, nevertheless, thank you for saving our daughter and keeping an eye on her ever since. We thought about taking her out of Hogwarts after that, but Hermione said she was sure you would keep her safe."

"We both try, Mr. Granger," Harry said. There was that glance again from Hermione's dad! Harry was fairly good at reading people, but he was downright baffled by what was going on with Hermione's parents now. Then he realized why. "To be honest, Hermione is the one who gets us out of trouble. My report card probably says something about how I am a big troublemaker."

"What's a report card?" Ron asked.

"Nevermind," Harry replied. The last thing he wanted to do was get into a discussion of the muggle school system with Ron. Mr. Weasley always seemed curious about muggle life, but Ron was disdainful. Ron was his best mate, but that didn't mean that there weren't things about Ron that just about drove Harry up the wall.

The Weasleys had come over and were all introducing themselves to the Grangers, and Harry smiled a bit as Fred and George switched names. Of the Weasley's only Ginny picked up on it, as Harry could tell from her small smile.

"Harry, where is that wretched uncle of yours?" Molly Weasley asked. "I'd like to see him and give him a piece of my mind for leaving bars over your window."

"It's ok, Ms. Weasley," Harry told the over-eager Weasley.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Molly, or even mum if you want?" Ms. Weasley complained.

"Always one more time, Ms. Weasley," Harry replied, a smile on his face. To his surprise, Ms. Granger smiled at Harry's quip, while everyone else was a little confused. Apparently cleverness was common in the women in the Granger family. Hermione didn't get it, but that would have surprised him more than her mom obviously figuring out Harry's verbal gymnastics.

"Are they not here?" Mr. Weasley asked, concerned. "They couldn't have forgotten the day? It's the same day every year."

"I'm sure my uncle is just running late," Harry said, the lie coming easily from his lips. He had thought about telling Dumbledore when the letter had arrived at the end of the year, but decided against it. He had received a letter from Uncle Vernon telling him that he was, under no uncertain terms to return to their house after the incident with Aunt Marge. Fudge had offered to send people to obliviate his relatives, but Harry had declined.

Now he was nervous even though the lie was easy to tell. It was almost impossible for him to slip a lie by his best friend, but even Hermione accepted the explanation. He wasn't sure what he would do for the summer. But he was more than happy to never return to Privet Drive.

"Would you like a ride, Harry?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Thank you for the offer, Mr. Granger, but I wouldn't want him to get here and have me not be here. He might get mad," Harry lied again. If his uncle had any desire to pick him up and Harry got a ride home from someone else, he had no doubt that he would have bruises the next day. But if the Grangers drove him home, then the truth would be revealed.

"Well, if you are sure," Mr. Granger said, and Harry nodded.

"Have a great summer, Harry," Hermione said. She took two steps forward and threw her arms around Harry's neck. Ron echoed the sentiment as his family started to head out, along with a promise to invite him to the world cup.

"Hey Hermione, you are choking me," Harry joked. Hermione jumped back, her eyes wide. "It's ok I'm just joking."

"Oh." Hermione said, not looking at him.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, but she just turned away, waving at him as she walked away. "Um…" Harry was lost for words.

"Sweetie!" Mr. Granger called, hurrying after his daughter as she disappeared out of sight. Ms. Granger pursed her lips and looked at Harry. Then she nodded and turned to follow her daughter off the platform. Harry looked around, and saw only muggles. Then his eyes lit on someone else, a young boy accompanied by an old woman. Harry jogged over to the young boy and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Neville!" Harry said happily as the boy turned. "Good to see you! What are your plans for the summer?" Neville seemed thrilled Harry had come over to talk to him, but the woman with him was looking down her nose at Harry.

"Harry!" Neville responded. The woman next to him made a small noise. "Oh, sorry. Harry, this is my grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. Grandmother, this is Harry Potter." Her eyes widened slightly as she saw the scar, and Harry had to stop himself from turning away in frustration. "Well, I don't know what I am doing over the summer."

"My grandson should probably do some studying over the summer," Augusta Longbottom said. "Good day, Lord Potter." She then turned and walked briskly away.

"Sorry!" Neville called as he ran after his grandmother. "See you next year!" Harry nodded as Neville vanished off the platform in hot pursuit of his grandmother, and as Harry glanced around, now he realized the platform was truly empty of wizards. Harry sat down on the bench for a think. A small part of him had thought that even though the letter had come through, Uncle Vernon would still be here to pick him up.

"Well, I can't very well sleep on a bench at the train station," Harry said to himself, even though at the moment he didn't have any better ideas. If the end of the year had not been so crazy, Harry would have tried to come up with a plan. But Harry knew that he had never been much of a planner. He tended to jump into things eagerly and without thinking. It was one of the things Harry was determined to change about himself, but one of the things Harry suspected that he would always do.

"The Leaky cauldron took me in last year," Harry said to himself again. He had a few galleons in his pocket, and that should get him to Diagon Alley. The rest could pay for a room for a few days, and then he would figure the rest out. Harry walked a decent way from King's Cross, but eventually the weight of the suitcase became unwieldy. Next year, Harry resolved, he would put a feather-light charm on his case, but this year he had stupidly forgotten, and he doubted that Minister Fudge would be as forgiving as last time if he performed magic in muggle London.

Luckily, he was far enough away from King's Cross and the street he was on was fairly deserted. He stuck out his hand, and in a minute the purple bus flashed to a stop in front of him. Harry looked around, but no one seemed to notice. Magic was odd sometimes, but at the moment Harry wouldn't bother complaining.

"Harry!" The conductor said. Harry's brow scrunched as he tried to remember the conductors name.

"Stan, right?" Harry said after a moment's contemplation.

"Remember me, do you!" Stan sounded excited. "Where to tonight, Harry? Or I guess it should be Lord Potter, if you excuse my rudeness."

"Diagon Alley," Harry said. He handed over a galleon and got 6 silver sickles back. He had no idea what the prices were but that seemed like a fair amount.

"Coming right up, Lord Potter." Harry walked to an empty seat, shaking his head at Stan's humorous comments. As he sat, he realized that Augusta Longbottom had called him a lord too. Harry thought back to the last year. Nothing had changed in a major way. Perhaps everyone was just taking the mickey with him. With that settled, Harry leaned back in his seat.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

Chapter 3: A New Friend, an Old Friend, and a New Home

June, 1994

"Well, this is a surprise meeting, isn't it!" A man with red hair plopped down next to Harry, a goofy smile on his face. "I feel like I already know you!"

"I'm sorry have we met?" Harry scooted away from the man, and although something about him seemed familiar, he felt in his pocket for his wand. The new man seemed nice, and Harry was many things but never an idiot.

"Reaching for your wand? Smart move," The man told him as Harry froze. "Feel free to take it out. I guess when I give you a clue as to who I am, and then I hope you can put it away and we can chat until my stop." He leaned in and looked around, and then whispered "I know all about Norbert." Harry's mind whirred and he glanced around as well. Then he looked at the red hair, and realized who this stranger reminded him off.

"Charlie Weasley!" Charlie smiled and extended his hand, which Harry shook. "Wow, it's a pleasure to meet you. Ron has told me all about you!"

"Yeah, Ron is a little jealous of me and Bill," Charlie said with a chuckle. "I'm sure if he applied himself he could get a job like one of us. I love him, but hard work is not his strong suit." Harry nodded in agreement. "In case you don't know, Bill is a curse-breaker for Gringotts. You'll meet him sooner rather than later, I suspect."

"You work with dragons in Romania, right?"

"Good memory," Charlie said, clearly pleased that Harry remembered. "Yes, and you will be pleased to know that Norberta is doing well. We were able to integrate her with a pack of Norwegian Ridgebacks and one of them accepted him as a son. I doubt you would recognize him now. She is a big one."

"Norberta? She?"

"Yep, we call her Norberta. You can tell she is female because she is much more vicious."

"So what do you do with dragons?" Harry asked. For the next 10 minutes Charlie described how he studied, tracked, and interacted with dragons as Harry listened silently, impressed by this newest Weasley brother who was clearly brave, adventurous and wickedly smart. He was quite stylish too and had an earring on his right ear, which he said was modelled after a dragon fang. Harry wondered what his friends would think if he showed up with an earring.

"Ottery St. Catchpole!" Stan yelled out.

"Most people lose interest when I get into mating habits," Charlie said as he rose from his seat. "Tell you what, feel free to owl me this summer, and I'd be happy to talk more about dragons if you are interested."

"Absolutely!" Harry said emphatically. They shook hands again as Charlie grabbed his suitcase.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Harry. I can see why Ron speaks so highly of you." Charlie smiled, and then his smile disappeared. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me Lord Potter." Then the smile was back. "I do hope you owl me." Then he was gone off the bus, leaving Harry a little breathless. Charlie Weasley was a bit of a whirlwind.

Harry now mirrored Charlie's frown. Lord Potter for the third time. Clearly something was going on, something he would happily admit to himself that he did not understand. He might even admit it to Hermione, or maybe to Neville who seemed to know what was going on when his grandma had mentioned it. This did seem like kind of thing Ron would be jealous of, so he would have to be careful. Ron was his best mate, and he really did not need to sour that relationship again. If he wasn't busy being jealous or a downright prat, Ron always had his back, no matter the enemy.

"Diagon Alley," Stan called after Harry had spent a few minutes in silent contemplation of his newfound title, as well as Charlie's fascinating job. He grabbed his trunk and lugged it off the bus. He stared up at the Leaky Cauldron, and in that moment's hesitation as Harry contemplated whether or not to enter the tavern, he heard "Harry!" He knew that voice, and turned around, surprised.

"Professor Lupin!" He hesitated, and then threw his arms around the werewolf. Harry felt his old professor smile as his arms enfolded the young man in return. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm meeting Headmaster Dumbledore in a few days, but I figured I would hang out in Diagon Alley for a little while. It's a good place to hide if you know it well, and after the news broke…"

"You never should have resigned!" Harry nearly shouted. "You were the best professor we ever had."

"Well, I did almost eat you," Remus said softly. "Sometimes I don't remember my transformations, but I do remember that I had you in my sights until Buckbeack showed up. I asked Dumbledore how you did that, but he said it was a secret."

"Oh, I can tell you Professor," Harry said eagerly. As he started to explain, Lupin placed a finger on Harry's lips.

"The Headmaster said it was a secret, so I think it is best that it stay so. However Sirius escaped, and I'm just happy he is free." Harry nodded, knowing the professor was right. "And Harry, I am not your professor anymore." Harry nodding, blinking away a tear at the thought. Not only was Lupin a wonderful professor, but apparently he was one of his father's best friends. He had already lost Sirius, and now he was losing Professor Lupin. It felt like everyone wanted nothing to do with him.

"But you should be," Harry said, feeling sadness start to consume him. "Everyone wants nothing to do with me," he said quietly, making sure Remus didn't hear him.

"If I haven't miscalculated, and judging by your presence I have not, you should at Privet Drive right now. And Harry, please call me Remus, or Moony. James always called me Moony."

"Ok," Harry said, and he was both pleased and irritated to be mentioned in the same breath as his father. "I'll go with Remus then."

"That should do just fine," Remus said. "But don't think you have escaped my question." Harry's eyes widened. While he was thrilled to see Remus, he didn't have a plan yet, and Remus was one of the few people who might see through any falsehood he could create.

"Well, did you hear how I accidentally inflated my aunt last summer?" Harry started, trying to buy time to come up with a story for why a 14 year old boy would be in Diagon Alley at night.

"Yes, I did. But I heard that the Minister got that wiped off your record," Remus said curiously. "I assume he would have sent someone to obliviate the Dursley's memories."

"I asked him not to," Harry admitted. "I figured that if they remembered that, Uncle Vernon might not hit-" Harry stopped suddenly, and saw a look of anger appear on his old professor's face.

"Harry, don't tell me the Dursley's hit you?"

"No." Remus's anger disappeared, but Harry continued "Just Uncle Vernon. It got better after my first year, but sometimes when I make him really angry, he just," Harry spread his hands. "It's not too bad unless he uses his belt."

"Harry," Remus said, reaching for Harry.

"It's ok Remus!" Harry exclaimed. "They sent me a letter telling me not to come home this summer! I figured I would stay here," Harry said, indicating the leaky cauldron "for a while, and then maybe go to The Burrow." As Harry said his quickly formulated plan out loud, he realized that plan sounded pretty good. "I'm sure the Weasley's wouldn't mind having me around for a while."

"Harry, there is something special about the Dursley's house," Remus told him. "The death of your mother-" Harry turned away, but Remus enfolded him in his arms. "I'm sorry, I know this will be hard to hear, but you need to hear it. What happened to your mother meant that protection was created around their house. The fact you share blood with your aunt means that Privet Drive is the safest place for you. Diagon Alley is no place for a boy your age, and while I'm sure the Weasley's would love having you, it might not be the best idea-"

"Remus," Harry begged, "Please!"

"I'll send a letter to the Headmaster," Remus said, as much to himself as to Harry.

"Remus!" Harry's tone was insistent as he grabbed the older man's robes. "Don't send me back there! Please! I know Dumbledore will send me back there, and Uncle Vernon will be so mad, and…" Harry couldn't finish the thought, tears falling from his eyes. He was angry and tried to wipe the tears away, but the thought of seeing his uncle again kept the tears coming.

"Harry, I have to inform the Headmaster, and he'll take care of the issues with the Dursley's," Remus said gently.

"Then why didn't he take care of it the first 13 years of my life!" Harry spat angrily. The instant the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. Dumbledore had been so good to him, and here he was blaming all of his failings on the greatest wizard to ever live. "I'm sorry. It's mostly my fault anyways. I screw up so much, so I guess it only makes sense he would hit me."

"Harry!" Remus looked shocked, but for the life of him, Harry could not tell why. "Don't tell me you believe that?"

"Why else would he hit me?" Harry was genuinely confused. "I mean, I've seen Ms. Weasley smack Ron over the back of his head when he does stupid stuff. That's the same, right?" Remus looked positively sick, and Harry took a quick glance at the moon making sure Remus didn't notice, but it was nowhere near full. "Remus, you look a little ill, are you ok?"

"Harry-" His old professor looked lost for words. "My god, you truly believe that?"

"It makes sense. You mess up, you get hit," Harry said simply. That had always been the way it was. "I guess sometimes I get hit even when I don't mess up, but it's probably something I don't see, like a speck of dust behind the couch. I don't really like being hit though. Sometimes it can hurt more than a stunner."

"I don't think I can tell him, not if it's that bad," Remus said to himself, though Harry heard him. "The wards will fail, but…" Remus whipped his head up and looked at Harry. "Harry, you will not be protected by those wards, and they are very powerful."

"Why do I need to be protected?" Harry asked. "Voldemort is gone, at least for now, and Wormtail is on the run. I should be totally fine, right?" Remus blinked as he looked at Harry. "I'm sure Dumbledore would tell me if something was wrong, right? It's not like Sirius is out to get me."

"You know, Harry, I believe you might just be right…" Remus trailed off, looking at the Leaky Cauldron. "But you can't stay here. That wouldn't be right. Neither would The Burrow, not at the moment."

"Well, I don't have any better ideas at the moment," Harry told him." Hermione went on holiday last year, so I assume she is doing the same this year. But I wouldn't want to impose on the Grangers anyways."

"Well, I have a few ideas," Remus told his friend's son thoughtfully. "But I don't think Dumbledore will approve, Harry."

"Well then don't tell him!" Harry exclaimed. "Or tell him I went to the Dursleys. You don't work for him anymore. It will be a prank worthy of the marauders." Remus grinned at the mention of his old crew, but then his smile fell away.

"I'm sure Dumbledore has people watching the place… Harry have you been hit your entire life?"

"Isn't everyone?" Harry asked, and at the moment Remus looked older than Harry had ever seen, and somewhat terrified as well.

"Harry, you know more than most that Voldemort is trying to return, and you will be in danger, but maybe not this summer." Remus straightened, looking at the young man in front of him. Harry made sure his tears were gone and that he looked Remus right in the eye. "You know, I may have a place for you after all. It goes against my better judgement to not tell Dumbledore, but you are right that he would try and get you before we arrive, and we can't have that." Remus gave Harry a smile that could only be categorized as wolfish. "It will be a prank worthy of James. Once you are there, Dumbledore won't be able to do much. He wouldn't dare risk a confrontation with the man we are meeting."

"Great!" Harry responded.

"We best catch the bus again," Remus said, holding out his hand. "There is no floo nearby, and I think we should avoid other types of travel."

"The leaky cauldron has a floo according to Minister Fudge" Harry said. "Although I always fall when I walk out the other side."

"No, there is no floo where we are going," Remus explained. "I'll have to make sure to keep my guard up when I talk to Dumbledore."

"Why?" Harry asked. "I'm sure a marauder can lie convincingly."

"Well, if Dumbledore looks you in the eye, he can read your mind…"

"Cool!" Harry exclaims. "No wonder he always seems to know what is going on!" Then Harry looked around. "I should keep that a secret, right?"

"Absolutely," Remus told him. "Perhaps it would be best for you to work on occlumency this summer as well. I'm sure you could learn.

"That is mind reading?" Harry asked.

"No, it is how to protect and calm you mind," Remus explained. "It is very useful, especially if you are fighting someone who is a strong legilimus. That's the name for a mind reader."

"So when you fight do you fight with spells and your mind?" Harry asked. He had liked the duelling club enough, but he figured that fighting with other wizards was something taught to the older students judging by what they had learned so far.

"Harry, the place I am taking you will teach you how to fight. That is the main thing my friend teaches, and I'm sure if you are respectful, he'll take you on for the summer. You'll have to keep that anger in check," Remus told him, and Harry nodded eagerly.

"I'll do it Remus! I promise." Remus nodded, and Harry could tell he was not convinced. "Well, I'll try my best."

"That's all I can ask for," Remus told him.

"So they will let me use my wand over the summer?" Harry was excited by the prospect now. "How do they do that? Do they have some kind of special permission from the Ministry? Ron will be so jealous."

"You will learn a way of fighting where you don't need a wand," Remus told him. "Sirius was always better than me, but James and I never took it seriously, and even Sirius wasn't good at it. And although Ron is a great friend, I would hesitate to tell him about it. No doubt it will reach Dumbledore's ears, and a prank is only perfect if no one knows it was you." Harry nodded in agreement, and then a question popped up, one he felt he needed to ask

"Remus, where are we actually going?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Wow huge time jump! Don't worry, over time, mainly through flashbacks and a few hints what Harry did over the summer will be revealed. For now, it's back to Hogwarts!**

Chapter 4: Time for a Train Ride

September, 1994

"Harry!" Harry looked up and saw Hermione just in time to not be driven back by the force of the hug. "It's so good to see you."

"It's wonderful to see you to!" Harry said, delighted to see his best friend. He had missed Hermione, and letters only went so far. They had tried to stay in touch, but owl post took some time, and they had only exchanged 4 letters each that summer. Harry was somewhat hampered in regards to what he could say due to the promises and oaths his host had told him to take. Harry always took promises seriously, so while he knew a fair amount about Hermione's summer, Harry knew that his summer would be mostly a mystery to her, at least until he could speak to her face to face and he was released from his some of his oaths.

"Harry!" Ron was right behind Hermione, and he looked miffed. Harry sighed, but then saw two people he felt he must talk to immediately.

"One second, Ron," Harry said, walking around Hermione towards her parents. "Mr. and Ms. Granger. I am so sorry. I was distracted the last time we met." He extended his hand in greeting. "I hope you'll give me a chance to make a better second impression. I am Harry Potter, and Hermione is my best friend. I can only hope to have the same distinction." He heard Hermione give a small squeal behind him, and Harry hoped that the noise was driven by happiness. He didn't need to look to know Ron was probably less than pleased by the statement, but Harry knew that while he might get a second chance to make an impression with Hermione's parents, he wouldn't get a third. It helped that what he said was true.

"It's ok, Harry. You had lot on your mind, I'm sure." Ms. Granger smiled at him in a way that made him a little nervous, and Mr. Granger reached forward and patted him on the shoulder. It took all of his concentration not to move out of the way. "Did you have a good summer?"

"Well, it was productive," Harry said, knowing that he would get a lot of these questions. He had thought up and discussed answers to potential questions with Remus last night. It had been good to see his friend, as he was beginning to think of Remus, constantly over the summer. Remus said he had changed, but he was interested to get the feedback of people his own age.

"Well, I'd think so," Mr Granger said. "You look like you grew a foot!"

"4 inches," Harry said. "It's nice to be taller than average." He looked at Mr. Granger, who was easily past 6 feet. "As I'm sure you are well aware of, Mr. Granger."

"Indeed," Ms. Granger said, while Mr. Granger sputtered. Harry turned to Hermione. "Did you get a chance to go on holiday this year?"

"We actually spent a little time in Spain, but I was at The Burrow a lot." Hermione looked at Harry, puzzled. "I asked you to come a few times."

"I'll tell you the same thing I said in the letters, I was not allowed to leave this summer," Harry explained.

"That's so horrible, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Yeah, we had tickets to the quidditch world cup. I sent you an owl, but you never responded." Ron had joined the conversation now.

"Ron, I did respond, the day I got your owl. In fact, while Hermione responded to all 4 of my letters, you did not respond to any of them. To be fair, I probably didn't write to either of you enough. I busy enough this summer, and of course Hedwig was busy enough just returning all of Charlie's letters."

"Charlie?" Hermione and Ron asked in tandem.

"I would hope you know your own brother, Ron? He is a bit of a whirlwind, even worse than the twins." Harry said with a laugh.

"Harry!" Charlie called out, racing over to the young man with the green eyes. "I was hoping to catch you before you ran off. I spoke to a friend, and she got me the information you were curious about. It was interesting to me too."

"This is great, thanks so much!" Harry took the sheaf of papers and grabbed for his suitcase.

"Let me help," Mr. Granger said, and lifted the suitcase before Harry could grab it. He stumbled a bit at the unexpected weight. "Yikes, what do you have in there?"

"Just a few extra books, sir," Harry lied. His host for the summer would have disapproved, but this was a lie that he was fairly comfortable with. This summer quite a few people had tried to convince Harry to be careful with lies. Harry had listened, and then discarded that advice whenever it was inconvenient, which was almost always. According to many people, lies always caught up with you, but Harry was confident he could avoid that. Keeping secrets seemed to be an occupational hazard for the boy-who-lived. Harry grabbed the suitcase and with relatively little effort swung it up to his knee and slid the papers in.

"You know each other?" Ron asked, still trying to wrap his head around his brother's appearance.

"We ran into each other this summer," Harry said before Charlie could answer and inadvertently reveal he had not been picked up by his uncle. "Charlie's job sounded interesting, so we talked this summer all about his job and about Dragons. They are fascinating creatures, though it makes sense why Norberta had to be given away. It's a little scary. They are dangerous animals."

"They are at that," Charlie said. "Harry was a good pupil though. Who knows," he said with a wink, "maybe I'll see you sooner than you think!" He ruffled Ron's harry, and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Have a good year!" Charlie than walked off whistling, leaving Ron and the rest of the Weasleys a little stunned. Charlie was indeed a whirlwind.

"Yikes, we should get going!" Harry said, looking at his watch. "Mr. and Ms. Granger, it was a pleasure to see you two again." Both parents nodded. "Mr. and Ms. Weasley, I'm sure we will catch up soon," he said to Arthur and Molly, both who could only nod dumbly. "Let's getting going." Harry, turned, tossed his suitcase onto his trolley and launched himself at the pillar that hid platform 9 and ¾. He saw the train the moment he flashed through the pillar, and smiled. This summer had been good, better than any summer in his life but he had missed Hogwarts and magic. It was the first place that had felt like home.

"Come on," Hermione said as she walked past Harry, who was admiring the train. "Let's get seated so I can help you with the homework you couldn't complete."

"Thanks Hermione," Ron said. "Potions was near impossible this summer, and Charms wasn't much better."

"What do you need help with, Harry?"

"I'm actually all finished up." Ron and Hermione gave him disbelieving looks. Harry couldn't see the twins behind him, but he expected they looked more disappointed than surprised. "I had the chance to see Remus Lupin a few times this summer. He helped out a bunch."

"How did you see the professor?" One of twins asked.

"Oh, Remus and my father were old friends. We stayed in touch over the summer, and it made sense for him to help me with homework."

"The Dursleys were ok with a werewolf coming over?" Hermione whispered. Remus being a werewolf was not common knowledge, and Hermione, Ron, and Harry had agreed last year that they would not spread that fact. Harry knew that any answer would be a flat-out and dangerous lie, so he used a tactic he had learned over the summer, and simply smiled.

Soon they were on the train and had taken a compartment. The twins had headed off to find their year mates, and the compartment felt oddly empty. "Give me a minute, you two," Harry said, standing and walking out of the compartment. It took him two minutes to find his friend, but he walked back into the compartment with Neville in tow.

"Neville?" Ron said, with almost disappointment in his voice. Hermione remained silent, and Harry saw she was almost studying his face.

"Neville was actually super helpful this summer," Harry said, sitting down next to Neville, who sat next to Hermione. The compartment opened and Dean Thomas flopped down next to Ron. "He helped me understand my new but ridiculous position." Harry had considered this, and figured that although Ron would be upset, this knowledge would distract from everything else.

"New position?" Hermione asked.

"As Lord Potter," Harry said. The odd interactions at the beginning of the summer had frustrated him to no end, and Remus had told him to reach out. Acting on that, and had written to Neville Longbottom. Sirius also suggested that a Slytherin might be a good contact so he had reached out to Daphne Greengrass as well, a Slytherin in their year. She had been surprising helpful, and they had agreed to meet up after the opening feast. "Thank god I am not in the Sacred 28. That would be a mess. Ron, maybe one day you can be Lord Weasley and outrank me!"

"What?" Ron said, instantly annoyed by Harry's new status.

"The Weasleys are one of the sacred 28," Harry said.

"You forgot Harry," Neville said. "If your family doesn't claim your rank with every new heir or the heir marries a muggle, you lose your rank. The Weasleys lost their rank a while ago."

"Thanks Neville. You really know your stuff!" Harry said, and Neville looked down, blushing a little bit.

"So what did you get as Lord Potter?" Hermione asked.

"Not much," Harry said. "Honestly, I'm not all that sure about the specifics of my position." Ron was glowering at him, while Hermione still seemed unsure. "Hey Ron, do you happen to have a chess set with you?"

"Of course!" Ron's bad mood was banished immediately, and Harry dived into the game, ignoring the conversation around him. He vaguely registered a few other people had joined them in the department. A few minutes in, Harry realized that while Ron was an excellent chess player, Harry would win. That would defeat the purpose of playing Ron, so Harry intentionally made a few mistakes, and Ron managed to checkmate him after around 20 minutes.

"Wow," Ron said as he re-set the board. "You got pretty good."

"Yeah, now I understand how good you really are," Harry said, and Ron smiled.

"So close, Harry!" Seamus Finnegan moaned. "We need a new Gryffindor chess champion. I'm sick of losing to Ron."

"Again, Harry?" Ron asked. Harry took a moment to look at the people who had joined the compartment. Seamus Finnegan, who shared a room with Harry, Ron, and Dean had joined them. Along with them were two other 4th year Gryffindors, Lavendar Brown and Parvati Patil, along with her twin Padma, who Harry remembered as a Ravenclaw. The blue t-shirt she was wearing suggested he was right. Two more girls had joined their room, which meant it was filled to the brim.

Harry had not spent a lot of time with Hufflepuffs. He remembered his quidditch game against them last year quite vividly:it was hard not to remember being attacked by dementors. He had the occasional nightmare of that game. In the end, it was worth it. Seeing the look on his captain and friend Oliver Wood's face when he hoisted the quidditch cup was a memory worth using to summon Prongs. That being said, Harry would happy to never see a dementor again.

Although his memories of Hufflepuff were mostly about that match, he was aware of the, frankly surprising, additions to their car. Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones sat in the corner, talking quietly among them. Susan had been focused on the board. Ron had said they were both lookers last year, and Harry had agreed as a matter of course. Now he could see Ron was correct, even if he would smack his friend on the head if he said the words "redhead with boobs" again. Both girls were extremely good looking and were well on their way to becoming women and no longer being seen as girls.

"I think I'll let you keep the crown a little while longer," Harry said, and Ron laughed.

"I wouldn't mind a match," Susan said, and everyone in the car swung their head at her in surprise."

"You?" Ron said, scoffing.

"Afraid to lose a girl, Weasley?" Susan replied, and Harry held back a laugh as he saw Ron flush red. Susan had chosen the perfect taunt, and 5 minutes later she had Ron pinned back. He was playing emotionally, and making big mistakes which Susan easily seized upon. Harry had watched the game with more interest than the rest of their friends at the beginning, and suspected that Susan was a better player than him as well. Now everyone was watching as Susan moved closer and closer to checkmate, and finally she moved her rook all the way across the board.

"Checkmate," Dean said in a voice indicated his shock. Seamus looked equally surprised. In fact, the only person not surprised was Hannah, who looked entirely disinterested. Harry would admit he knew close to nothing about the two Hufflepuffs, and probably less than that about their house as a whole. But as he had learned that summer, experts at chess always had interesting stories to tell. Now he knew he wanted to hear Susan's story.

"I want a rematch!" Ron demanded.

"Maybe," Susan said, clearly considering his request. "You are better than I expected."

"You can't just run off your victory!" Ron protested.

"I think we are almost there, Ronald," Hermione said.

"Exactly," Susan said. "Maybe we can play later this year, but I don't want to be rushed."

"Lost to a girl?" A mocking voice came from the door to the cabin. Harry saw Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "Even more pathetic now, Weasley."

"I bet I could beat you too," Susan said mildly. First beating Ron at chess, and now challenging Draco? Harry would be lying if he said that the last 30 minutes had not been eye opening.

"Why would I lower myself to play someone of your level?" Malfoy said as he sneered at her.

"Last I checked, your family lost their seat in the Wizengamot," Hannah told Draco. "Susan will become Lady Bones in 3 years. But you will still be nothing."

Draco's face went red, and he dived into his robe, presumably looking for his wand.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: I have been stunned by the reaction to this story. I was expecting to have maybe 20 follows and 10 favorites so far. To have close to 100 favorites and close to 200 followers is amazing. Thank you guys and gals so much for following, favoriting and reviewing. If you want to review, I would really appreciate it if you create an account. It takes less than 5 minutes and I love being able to respond to my reviews.**

**No time jump this time! Hope you are liking the cliffhangers, even though I don't plan on using them that much. Credit to Jeff Winger (Joel McHale and Dan Harmon) for observations on arguments**

Chapter 5: Snakes, Old and New

September, 1994

All summer, it had been drilled into him. If you have to reacting to an attack, you are already too late. So in the time it took Draco to fish out his wand and point it at Hannah, Harry was already across the compartment. A word started to form on Draco's lips, but he stopped and yelped in pain as Harry struck his forearm, causing him to drop his wand.

"Nice wand," Harry said as he scooped it up and tossed it to Draco. Now that he was right next to him, he wasn't worried about Draco having the wand. Now he was ready to act, not react "Last I checked, the school year started after Dumbledore's speech. Hermione, back me up?"

"Not perfect. The year starts the moment the sorting hat sits on the first new student's head." Hermione said confidently.

"So, I guess wand use is still illegal then," Harry told Draco. "And is that a prefect I see coming down the corridor?" Draco snapped his head in the direction Harry had looked, and Harry slammed the door in Draco's face. "What a git," Harry said as he sat back down. "Honestly, not seeing Malfoy or Snape is one of my favorite things about summer break." Everyone in their car was looking at him silently, and Seamus mouth had fallen wide open. "What you guys don't agree?"

"Malfoy is intolerable," Susan said, regaining her voice before the rest. "Slytherins are the worst."

"Don't be too quick to judge." Harry said. "It's unfair to paint everyone in one house by the same brush." Some of the mouths were even lower. "Not everyone in Gryffindor is as brave as Neville. I'd be shocked to learn that everyone is Slytherin is as nasty as Malfoy. Malfoy and his friends are unpleasant-" Harry was cut off as Malfoy swung the door open. "Whoops. Like Beetlejuice, I guess." Harry had seen the famous movie that summer, and his comment caused Hermione to laugh a little. Of course being raised muggle, Hermione was the only person with a chance to see the classic muggle flick.

"Potter!" Malfoy growled, though his wand was out of sight.

"Draco, please go slither somewhere else," Harry said. They were getting very close, and for Ron's sake, he wanted Hermione to get a chance to look over his summer homework.

"No one talks to me like that!" Malfoy yelled.

"If you don't want to be talked to like that, you are more than welcome to leave," Harry said. "Nobody is stopping you." Malfoy stood there speechless, and then turned harshly and walked away, his two goons in tow, realizing he had dug his own grave.

"How did you do that, Harry?" Dean asked.

"The thing with arguments," Harry began to explain, "is that anyone who tries to pick an argument has already lost. Because they give you most of the ammunition with holes in what they say. You don't argue with Draco, you let him argue with himself." He saw that he had lost most of the people in the cabin. "Ok, I'll try and explain it the same way I learned this summer. When someone argues, they create a circle around something they deem to be true. Everything outside of that circle is a lie in this argument."

"What's the point?" Ron snapped.

"I wouldn't expect you to get it, because I haven't made it yet," Harry said, as patiently as he could without sounding condescending. He handled the patient part well enough, but Ron's eyes narrowing made Harry realize he not done a good job at hiding the condescension. "Only truly brilliant people choose an argument that is so self-contained that everything is inside the circle. Hermione is much smarter than everyone in this compartment, but I doubt she could do it."

"Woah," Neville said.

"A demonstration might help." Harry turned to Hermione. "Come on then."

"Ok," Hermione said. She looked around for a second. "It's stupid not to do your summer homework."

"Why are you calling it summer homework?" Harry challenged

"Because that is what it is called?" Hermione was less confident the moment Harry challenged her. He hesitated, not wanting to beat her so easily. He would have to apologize later.

"Is it? Or is it just homework that we have to do, and you choose to do it over the summer?"

"I guess the second?"

"But there is so much to do in the summer we can't do at Hogwarts. Besides, you don't even have the library." Hermione nodded, a little stunned that Harry had dismantled her argument in a matter of seconds. "Hermione, don't worry, you are right. Doing the homework was the right call in real life. That was just an example of how to argue efficiently. Do you see what I did there?"

"Yeah," Susan said. "Once she said summer homework, you used the word summer to lock her into a corner." Harry nodded, impressed. It had taken Susan 5 minutes something that took him a week to understand. Granted, in that week he learned how to do it but he saw from the nodding heads that the Patil twins had picked it up as well.

"Oh," Neville said, smacking his head. "I get it."

"You do?" Dean said in surprise. "Harry, can you do it again?" The train squealed, and Harry felt the movement stop.

"Ask me again at the feast," Harry said. He stood and swung down Hermione's trunk from the rack at the top of the compartment, and handed it to her. He grabbed Ron's with his off hand, while his dominant right hand grabbed his own. He handed it off to Ron as he heard whispers behind him. Hermione was right behind him.

"Don't think I forgot how you disarmed Draco," Hermione whispered.

"You wouldn't be Hermione if you forgot," Harry remarked as they walked to the nearest opening off the train. He saw his friend Hagrid waving to first years, and Harry shot him a smile, returned by the massive man.

"Will you tell me how you did it?"

"I can show you," Harry countered. "It's easy to learn."

"Let me re-phrase the question." Hermione paused for a second, clearly thinking. "Ok. Where did you learn to do that, and who taught you?"

"That's two questions," Harry said with a laugh. It was an easy deflection, and by then Ron and Seamus had caught up to them. Harry expected Hermione to persist, and had a bag full of deflections ready, but she stayed quiet as the 4th year Gryffindors, boys and girls alike piled into the carriage, her eyes boring into the side of his skull.

They had lost one of the Patil sisters and Susan and Hannah, but the carriage was still too crowded. Ron and Seamus were happily chatting away, which gave Harry a few blissful minutes to close his eyes. Then Neville jogged him with an elbow. Harry nodded his thanks and stepped out of the carriage. Something struck him, and he tapped Neville's shoulder.

"Nev, we should probably talk for a moment." Everyone continued into the castle, and Hermione turned and saw Neville and Harry lagging behind a bit. "Go ahead, Hermione. We will be right behind you." She nodded, but looked concerned. "Nev, I have to thank you and promise to not betray your trust."

"What are you talking about?" Neville asked.

"You opened up to me about your parents this summer. That was really brave, and I appreciate it. I only shared it with my teacher, and not the specifics. I promise I won't tell anyone, though I think you should consider telling someone else. Maybe Hermione."

"You told Professor Lupin?" Neville looked shattered.

"No, though he already knows. He knew your parents before they got sick," Harry said.

"But you said teacher?" Neville asked, clearly confused.

"You are correct, but there are a lot of different types of teachers. A different teacher who saw your response, and said I should try to talk to you about real stuff. Doing that over letters is hard but different than literal speech, so I understand if you don't want to talk about it. But if you do, I'm here for you. I think you have more friends than you think who would be understanding, and I'd be there to help if you want."

"Thanks Harry. You are a good friend." Harry nodded, and they walked into the castle. The corridor was empty, and they hurried to try and catch up to their year mates. "You never explained the teacher thing?"

"My teacher this summer was a man called Hayashi-Sensei. Does that mean anything to you?" Neville shook his head. "I didn't think so. So don't worry all that much about him. I doubt he would betray your trust either, even if he doesn't know the specifics. And Remus stepped down, so the only way people will know is if you choose to tell them."

"Yeah, I forgot Professor Lupin resigned," Neville said. "He was great. It's weird you call him by his first name."

"You don't call me Potter," Harry pointed out.

"Because it is rude to call friends by their last name," Neville pointed out.

"So if Professor is no longer my professor, and we are friends, I should call him Remus, right?"

"You are good at this arguing thing Harry." Harry just nodded. "Do you think we will get another Lockhart for defense? I'll miss Professor Lupin." Harry gave him a glance. "Sorry, once a professor, always a professor. I guess not with that moron Lockhart, but you know what I mean."

"I do, and I heard some rumors this summer. More accurately, Remus heard some rumors, and reached out to me. I think Dumbledore went full circle, at least if Remus was right." Neville looked at him as they reached the great hall. "We'll see soon." Harry looked up at the dais where the teachers sat and saw the glass eye and wild look. "That's not good," he said to himself. "Not good at all."

The welcome feast was one of Harry's best events of the year. It happened before his rotten luck that came every year could hit, and he loved cheering for his new housemates. After dinner, the new quidditch team captain and one of Harry's favourite sixth years came over to discuss the schedule for the year. Harry groaned as he stood and the first years followed the Gryffindor prefects out of the hall. This was one of the conversations he was not looking forward.

"Angelina, I really hate to do this, but I don't know if I can play this year." She looked shocked, and she drew in breath to respond angrily. "I haven't decided yet, but if we have this discussion around other people, it might force me to make a decision we'd both regret." The captain nodded. "I'll come find you later, ok?" Angelina walked off, though Harry could tell she was upset, and that the discussion was clearly not close to over. "Yikes." Harry turned and found Neville following the first years. "Nev." Harry waved Neville over. "Come on, we have to meet someone." Neville nodded without question, but as they walked out of the great hall a different way from everyone else, he saw Hermione, arms crossed, at their entrance.

"Harry, where are you going?"

"It's not curfew for a few hours. I'd prefer to not be the first person to lose points. I'll be back in a bit."

"Dragging Neville along in your schemes now?" Hermione frowned as she fell in beside them.

"If you want to follow that's fine, but let's keep it down." Neville and Hermione nodded as Harry went up a few staircases until he made it to the 5th floor landing, and then walked into a classroom. He saw a blond haired girl facing the board, and she turned and nodded to him as he walked in. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the two people behind him.

"Brought a few witnesses just in case, Potter?" The girl snarled and made to leave.

"Daphne, no need to be nasty. Neville was the person who gave me most of the information, and Hermione is my best friend. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that it would not be great for me to be seen talking to Potter, let alone 3 Gryffindors. You make a lot of kids in our house scared, and Draco has more power than I would like." Harry searched for a response, but Hermione was quicker off the mark.

"Harry was saying on the train that we shouldn't judge all Slytherin by Malfoy. I assume he meant you, because he clearly didn't mean Crabbe and Goyle. Was he wrong?" Daphne hesitated, but after a moment she leaned against the desk a teacher would normally stood at.

"Unfortunately Potter was right. And I did promise to help, for a price. Our deal is still valid?"

"What deal?" Hermione asked, clearly incensed.

"Daphne told me why we need dress robes this year, among other things." Harry said. Neville and Hermione looked at him expectantly. He gestured to Daphne.

"My parents let me know what the special event Dumbledore alluded to was. It's the Tri-Wizard tournament." Harry already knew, so he enjoyed the reaction from Neville and Hermione as they both inhaled sharply. "Along with that, there will be a ball over Christmas, the Yule Ball. I told Potter I would help him learn all about his rights as Lord Potter, since I will inherit myself in a few years, but in exchange I get first dibs for the ball."

"That means that if someone asks me to the ball, I have to ask Daphne first. If she says she wants to go with me, I have to say yes unless I am already going with someone that she has okayed." Neville and Hermione were both surprised. "I know, I was as surprised as you."

"Don't be a jerk Potter."

"Daphne, if you are going to be my girlfriend," she frowned at the word, "just kidding. But I hope we can at least try to be friends."

"Maybe," the blond haired Slytherin said.

"Well, a good start would be calling me Harry. None of my friends call me Potter. In fact, only Snape and Draco do. Pretty poor company, even for a Slytherin."

"You know most of my year mates and housemates would take offense at that comment?" Harry just shrugged, and Daphne sighed, kicking herself up onto the Professor's Desk. "Very well. I do want a chance at that date so I can embarrass you. What can I help you with, Harry?"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: I'm sure my timeline is less than perfect, but I have a strategy for the way I will present things. I think any fanfiction that starts around 4****th**** year is building towards one thing, and while it will take time the story will get there.**

Chapter 6: Guardians and Exercise

September, 1994

"Excited for Divinations this year?" Ron asked Harry as they sat in the common room. "What new ways do you think you are going to die?"

"I dropped divinations," Harry said, half distracted. "The grim I saw was clearly a good thing. Didn't make much sense to stay in the class. It's not like Pettigrew went back to his master. He just ran away. So she was 0 for 2. Didn't want to waste my time."

"You are leaving me there alone?" Harry gave Ron a flat stare

"I'm sure you can handle it," Harry told Ron. "Besides, now that I am taking Ancient Runes. When I talked to Remus over the summer, he recommended it. Said it would be useful for Defense." He laughed a bit. "That is the only thing I am good at, so anything that helps out should be useful."

"It will be no fun with Trewlany without you!" Ron complained.

"You are taking Ancient Runes?" Hermione asked, clearly pleased.

"Yeah, I tried to catch up over the summer, but I'm sure I'm a little behind. I'm counting on you to help, if that's ok."

"Of course that's ok!" Hermione told Harry excitedly. "Do you want me to look at your essay to see where you are?"

"That would actually be brilliant!" Harry nodded and ran up the stairs. A minute later he ran do the stairs with multiple scrolls of parchment. "Here it is!" Ron took a look at the paper and gagged. There was at least 3 parchments full of writing. On the other hand, Hermione was nodding appreciatively

"Thank god that isn't me." Ron shook his head as he stood up. "I'll see if Dean or Seamus is up for a game of snaps." He wandered off and Hermione reached for the first scroll.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Harry asked.

"Reading your essay, right?" Hermione was clearly confused.

"My essay is fine. I'm not aiming for an O. Nev," Harry whispered and gestured his friend over. "Hermione, we need to discuss what Daphne just told us, and Ron might get a little sensitive."

"Oh," Hermione said. Neville nodded enthusiastically. "You don't feel bad excluding Ron?"

"At first I did, but I thought about Ron reacted to some other things I got, like the firebolt. If he hadn't gone after you like that, I probably wouldn't have been as mad as you, or at least would have let you explain." Harry paused, thinking through his answer. "I think while he was mad you took the broom away, part of his anger was around the fact that I had gotten my second amazing broom, and he still didn't have anything."

"That doesn't make sense," Hermione said. "Ron might get jealous at times, but I think his love for quidditch overpowers any jealousy."

"So the two can't coexist?" Neville said, and Harry nodded as well. "Imagine if first year you had chosen me to go with you instead of Ron. Harry rolled his eyes at the thought of Ron being left behind. Not only would he have been impossible to deal with, but they would have lost the chess game…

"Neville, you have been good at Herbology since first year right?"

"It's usually my best subject," Neville told him. Harry shook his head in frustration. "What is it?"

"Nothing important," Harry said, silently cursing. Dumbledore had expected Neville to join them, not be stunned by Hermione. That way, everyone would have had a task. Ron would play chess, Harry would catch the key, Neville would tell them to relax for Devil's snare or scare it with sunlight, and Hermione would solve the puzzle. Ron was lucky to be alive, because Hermione had done more than her part. What would have happened if Ron had died before the chess game? It might have been impossible for Quirrell to get the stone, but so many things would have gone wrong from that moment on.

"Never mind." Harry took one of the pieces of parchment and took out a quill. The piece of parchment was empty. "While I remember everything she said, I figure I should write it down. Ok?"

"Good idea," Hermione said. "The first thing she said was that if you had houses that died with no heirs, then you could absorb them into your house and get their seats in the Wizengamot. Also, when you become an adult, you get access to a bunch of different vaults. There are also some special laws around underage magic we need to look into-"

"Slow down!" Harry told Hermione, his quill moving so quickly that the parchment had blotches on it. "I can only write so fast."

"Harry, she said you can petition the DMLE!" Hermione whispered. Harry nodded and shot her a look that suggested they would discuss the implications of that revelation later, when Neville was not around. It wasn't that he didn't trust Neville, but the fewer people that knew about Sirius the better. Ron and Hermione would keep the secret and of the two Hermione was the only one who knew the entire story.

"Good point Hermione!" Harry said overly loudly as he wrote down that he could now donate money to the ministry. Neville nodded as he saw the new point. "But there was one thing Daphne couldn't help me with, and I think it is the most important question I had."

"What?"

"Why now?" Harry asked. Neville and Hermione looked confused. "Nothing of real importance happened last year. I'm not an adult, and I didn't get any special permission last year. So what happened that led to me being named Lord Potter? It must have happened right after school."

"No, it didn't" Neville said. Harry glanced at Neville, and saw his friend's brow scrunched furiously as he thought. "That wouldn't make sense. The only thing you did at the end of last year was not annoy Snape as much as before. Someone in the Ministry must have found something out, a fact that was hidden and disqualifying before and made a special request. Then Minister Fudge could approve it regardless of what the governing body thinks. Then it could be sent out to a select group of people."

"Ok," Harry said, a little sceptical.

"I'm sure of it," Neville told him. "The weird thing is that you should have gotten a letter with the details from the head of underage magic, as well as a letter from your magical guardian with instructions to meet and discuss the rules."

"Magical guardians?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged, he was just as confused by the term as Harry was.

"Harry, as a pureblood you are supposed to have someone to teach you all about the magical world."

"Nev, I'm not a pureblood. My mom was muggle-born through and through."

"That's impossible," Neville told him.

"I'm pretty sure I would know about my own mom," Harry said, a little annoyed by Neville's stubbornness.

"Harry, if one of your parents were muggle-born, then you would lose your status as Lord. Why do you think there are so few left?" Neville asked. Harry didn't have a response. "As a Lord, you need to have a magical guardian."

"It could be Padfoot!" Hermione said.

"Yeah, but he can't help me much," Harry replied, a feeling of sadness washing over him.

"I don't know who Padfoot is, but why can't he help you?" Neville asked.

"He is kind of an international fugitive," Harry said, almost blushing in his embarrassment.

"That doesn't matter," Neville said. Harry was surprised by the authority in his dormmate's voice. Neville was different this year, and Harry wondered if it was because he had finally unburdened himself about his parents to a friend. It was nice for both of them to have someone to talk to who fully understood the tragedy that was so important to their early years, even if Augusta Longbottom sounded like a much better guardian than the Dursleys. "If circumstances meant you needed a new guardian, the head of the Wizengamot would assign one, and I'm sure Dumbledore chose a good one."

"So how do I figure out who it is?" Harry asked, willing to take Neville on his word.

"I have no idea," Neville said. "I can write a letter to my gran, and she can tell me. I'm sure she would be happy to help. She was thrilled when I got the letters you this summer."

"It is no big deal, Neville. You were very helpful," Harry told him.

"No, you don't understand." Neville leaned in a little bit. "You were the first friend to ever owl me over the summer." Neville seemed very embarrassed, and Harry, even though he wasn't a big fan of physical contact, patted Neville on the shoulder, knowing the gesture would mean a lot to him.

"Well, I won't be the last," Harry told him confidently. "I'm sure of that." Neville nodded, but he was clearly embarrassed by the secret he had just told Harry. "I think that until I figure out who my guardian is, then we are stuck. Might be good to have a chat with Daphne after all that."

"She is in our runes class," Hermione said. "She is very good at that, even better than me."

"Seriously?" Harry asked in surprise. "I'd never expect you to admit that."

"Harry, all of my good grades are because I work hard. I can't overcome a good work ethic and natural talent, and Daphne is a genius. I beat her at all other subjects, and I am second best in runes, though Susan occasionally beats me at arithmancy. Not often, but every now and then. Of course you are better than me at defense practicals."

"And you never introduced us to your other friends?" Harry said with a laugh.

"Well, you know how Ron gets with snakes," Hermione said, and Harry nodded. "I didn't know you knew her."

"I don't. Remus just suggested I owl her over the summer. The Greengrass family is one of the sacred 28, and she gives good advice."

"It helps that she has a crush on you too."

"She definitely doesn't" Harry replied, and Hermione raised an eyebrow. "She is just messing with me. But that doesn't explain why you never introduced Susan."

"Well, that would be-" Hermione stopped, looking at Harry with an odd expression in her eye, "tough to do. But she stayed in our compartment this year." Harry nodded, but Hermione had already turned away "Why would she do that this year?" Hermione said to herself, but both Harry and Neville heard her, and were both confused.

"We should get to bed," Harry told Hermione, but she was clearly not listening. "Good night," but Hermione was still a world away, and Harry shook his head and he and Neville walked up the stairs in the boys' dormitory until they reached their room. Seamus and Ron were engaged in a game of exploding snap, and since Dean was not there, Harry assumed his third roommate was in the bathroom. He went over to his trunk and removed a small bar with screws on the end. If Dean was in the bathroom, Harry would have to use the door by the stairs, which he wasn't super comfortable with, but needs must. He slipped the bar in between the door frame and messed with the screws until it fit firmly. He then removed his robe and Neville gasped in surprise.

"Harry, what did you do over the summer?"

"What do you mean Neville?" Harry asked as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Your arms are massive!" Harry looked down and didn't see anything of note. Yes, his upper body was more developed, but this was true even on the train. Then he realized that his robe had covered most of his body's changes.

"If you think they are impressive, wait until you see my abs," Harry joked, but Neville just nodded dumbly. Sighing, Harry grabbed the bar and began to pull himself up so that his stomach was over the bar, and then lowering himself again. The pull ups were part of a routine he had promised to do every day when he returned to school. He did 3 sets of 20, his face covered in sweat by the time he was done.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Lee Jordan asked, standing just outside their door.

"Exercise," Harry explained tersely. His breath was coming quickly, and he hated that in just two days of inactivity he was weaker. He took the bar down and tossed in on his bed. Next were alternating crunches and push-ups, and Harry did 4 sets of 25 each, even though he was only supposed to do 3.

"Ok," Lee said as Harry finished his next exercise and started squat jumps. "Why? Is that good for quidditch?" Harry paused for a second and realized that a demonstration might cause problems. At the same time, Ron and Seamus were looking at him curiously as well. Harry knew that showing off was generally not an attractive quality, but the small part of him that felt like he was treated badly in school screamed out and Harry couldn't push it away.

"Ok, hold you wand out," Harry told Lee. The older Gryffindor frowned, and Harry gave him a patronizing smile. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Lee had a slow temper, but Harry could tell he was annoyed as he took his wand from his pocket. Harry was already moving, and his leg snapped out, extending fully and knocking Lee's wand away. Lee's eyes followed the wand as it fell down the stairs, and Harry followed up, throwing a right hook that stopped less than an inch away from his jaw.

"Woah," Neville said as Lee turned and Harry saw his shock as he realized that Harry could have punched him.

"Sorry, I think you wand should be okay," Harry said, and Lee's eyes widened as he rushed down the stairs. Harry saw him coming back up a few seconds, relieved that his wand was unharmed. "I would feel horrible if I damaged it. Let me know if it doesn't work, and I can get you a new one."

"It looks fine," Lee said. "If it's damaged, you can even the score by telling me how to do that."

"I can't really tell you," Harry said. "It's a little complicated." Lee nodded his head as Harry resumed his squat jumps. After the squat jumps he started to stretch, first his legs and then his chest and arms. He looked up as he lay on the ground and started the complicated stretches his master had called yoga, and found that Fred and George had joined Lee in the doorway, as well as one younger student whose name Harry did not know. They were wearing their Weasley jumpers which allowed Harry to distinguish them. Though knowing the twins, it was very likely they would change their jumpers to mess with everyone

"Harry, why are you so sweaty?" George asked.

"That looks like it hurts," Fred said.

"Yeah, it really hurt the first few times. But it is really good at relaxing your mind and body," Harry said as he flipped over.

"You should have seen it!" Lee told them, clearly excited. "He kicked the wand right out of my hand and then he could have punched me!"

"We heard you the first 3 times," George said, clearly exhausted at hearing the story.

"Harry, why are you doing that?" Fred asked.

"Long story," Harry said, cutting the yoga short. The demonstration has clearly been a mistake, even if had allowed him to complete most of the workout uninterrupted.

"Can you teach me to fight like that?" Seamus asked, and Harry grimaced.

"I'm not really qualified to teach anyone," Harry replied, uncomfortable at being asked to teach when he needed to learn a lot more on his own. His master would find his predicament funny, especially since it was Harry, who loved learning new things.

"How did you learn to do that anyways?" Ron asked. Harry just shook his head and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and just let the water run over his body as he thought about Ron's question. Hard work, more hard work, and a little more hard work piled on top of that. His summer had been hard, but a very different hard than his past summers with the Dursleys. It had been the first summer where he felt his life begin to truly change.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: So how does Harry know all of this? This will be the first of a few flashbacks. I like hiding information until it becomes necessary, so this won't answer all the questions, though it is a start**

Chapter 7: A New Master

June, 1994

"So they teach fighting with your body?" Harry looked incredulous. "Why would I need to do that when I can just throw a stunner?"

"Harry, how many stunners do you think you could throw before you became tired?" Harry paused, thinking through Remus' question. He had never thought about his limit before. "Let me try it this way. How did you feel after casting your patronus?"

"Really happy, but then I was exhausted," Harry told the werewolf.

"Exactly!" Remus smiled at Harry. "What if you had to fight someone after doing that? Your magic is almost gone, so how would you fight?" Harry floundered for an answer, not finding one on the top of his tongue. "Do you see the reasoning now?"

"A little," Harry said, though he was still very skeptical. "This all sounds a little crazy."

"Trust me," Remus said. "The person who runs this school could easily beat me, Sirius, and your father together without using his magic. He is a very dangerous guy, but an excellent teacher. If you can keep your temper in check, you will find a very good instructor who will be a friend for life."

"My temper?" Harry asked, though he more stunned by the fact that there was a man who had no magic who could beat Sirius and Remus together.

"Yes, Harry. He will knock you down often, and you will have to do a lot of exercises. It will frustrate you, not being allowed you to use your wand for simple tasks. I guess he will do it until you snap at him. That will not be a pleasant lesson, but it will be the most important one," Remus explained.

"Aren't you giving away the secret?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry," Remus told him with a laugh. "You won't remember after your first few days." The bus screeched to a stop and Remus took Harry's arm and led him off a bus. Harry looked around, and it looked like a normal neighborhood. But Remus pointed at one building Harry had not noticed, and his jaw dropped. "Impressive, right?"

Harry could not see anything but the wall. It must have been 15 feet tall, and it was made of a black stone Harry had never seen before. It looked tough, and Harry felt like it must have been a thick wall too, even though he couldn't prove it. Then his eyes lit on the door. It looked like steel, though in the moonlight the door almost seemed to shine. There were some odd scribbles on it.

"Are those Runes?" Harry asked as Remus walked up to the wall.

"The marks on the door?" Remus replied, studying the wall as Harry nodded. "No they are characters in another language. Lot of languages in the world, and though I can't read Japanese those characters are the three values that this school ascribes to. Respect, Diligence, and Excellence. In that order." Remus chuckled as he placed his wand on the wall. "Found it." He tapped his wand on the wall in a few places. The wall seemed to tremble, and then Remus sketched a pattern on the wall with his wand.

"Wow!" Harry said in amazement as the wall seemed to swing open for him. "Just like Diagon Alley!"

"Where do you think Diagon Alley got the idea?" Remus said, his eyes twinkling. "Come on, it will close in a few seconds, and I don't think I could open the main door." Harry nodded and scampered through the wall, and Harry saw Remus look around but then followed him. The wall swung shut just as Remus cleared the gap.

"What is this place?" Harry asked. It looked like there was a lake, with a bridge going over it. There were also huge circles filled with what looked like pebbles, and a few massive plants. There were also three structures, all fairly tall but in a style Harry had never seen before. The rest of the massive interior was short grass that Harry could faintly make out in the moonlight.

"Who are you?" The voice was harsh, and all of the sudden Harry felt a wand underneath his chin. He glanced over, and saw a wand was pointed at Remus' chest as well. "Well?"

"Is that how you greet an old friend?" Remus said mildly. "I would expect better hospitality at the Hayashi School."

"Remus?" A voice said incredulously. A man of Asian descent stepped out of the shadows, lowering his wand as he did. His eyes lit on Harry's old professor and he hugged him, a gesture Remus returned. "Where are the rest of your marauding friends?" The man drew back, clearly pleased to see one of the marauders.

"Well, you know about James," Remus said quietly, and the man nodded.

"I have not seen you since that happened. Allow me to offer my sympathy." The man then turned to Harry and nodded his head. Just like that the wand under Harry's chin disappeared. His eyes adjusted to the dark, and he saw a boy a few years older than him staring at him curiously. Like the man Remus had greeted, he had close cropped black hair and brown eyes, as well as a muscular build.

"Harry, let me introduce you to Takashi Hayashi. He will be your host and master this summer." Remus said, indicating the adult.

"Host will not be a problem. I will be happy to provide a room for a son of the marauders. You were my best British magical students. But whether or not I will be his master is up for discussion. Harry, is it?" Harry nodded. "For now, you should address me as Hayashi-san.

"Yes, Hayashi-san." Harry said. He saw Remus mimic lowering his head and Harry lowered his head in a half bow.

"Good manners," Hayashi-san said in approval. "That's a start. But Remus, I did express my concern in your letter saying you would visit. I did not expect a companion or perspective student." Harry jumped a bit at that announcement. He hadn't seen Remus send a letter of any kind. Hayashi-san noticed the reaction and turned angrily on Remus. "You did not plan this?"

"It's a long story," Remus said tiredly, and all the sudden Harry felt the exhaustion of a long day catch up with him, and almost stumbled a bit, and might have fallen if Remus did not catch him. "Harry is dead on his feet. We can talk later." Harry felt his consciousness start to fade, but he felt strong arms pick him up, and he also seemed to remember be deposited on a mattress on the floor. Then his eyes closed and everything was quiet.

The sound of birds the next morning woke Harry, who stretched his back and yawned as the sun shone in his window. He looked down, and saw a bundle of white cloth on the ground. Then he saw the blanket wrapped around him, and gave a start. This was not Hogwarts, and Harry reached for his wand, but did not find it there. He jumped up and ran to the door of this mysterious room, and swung it open. The door was some kind of paper screen, and Harry almost broke it in his panic. He raced down the stairs, still shoeless and stopped as he entered the courtyard.

Now that it was light, he could see the bridge and pond clearly. The flowers were vibrant shades of blue, yellow and purple, and birds floated around them, singing joyfully. He saw three girls around his age swinging staffs around in the air, and they turned and looked at him, laughing a little. Harry's ears flushed as he realized the odd clothing around him left his chest rather uncovered.

"Harry!" Harry looked up and saw a young man jogging over to him. He wore similar clothes, but the top of his robe was closed, and Harry quickly grabbed the cloth wrapping around the top of his robe and tied it, still confused as to where he was. "You are up earlier than I expected. You looked dead to the world when I check on you earlier today."

"I'm sorry." Harry said miserably as the memories from the day before came crashing over him. He had to struggle to keep his tears in, knowing that he was bound to be kicked out the day he had come to this new place. Uncle Vernon would administer a harsh beating if he ever missed getting up to prepare breakfast. When Remus was forced to deposit him at Privet Drive, Harry was worried he might be killed by beating. But at the moment the beating that was coming from this young man was his concern and he cringed, tensing up.

"What's wrong?' The boy asked, and Harry looked up from under his arms and recognized the boy as the person who had held a wand under his neck the last night.

"I'm sorry for oversleeping! It will never happen again, just please let me talk to Remus before you throw me out!" Harry cried out. The boy just looked at Harry curiously.

"Why would we throw you out?"

"I overslept and didn't make breakfast." Harry instantly shut his mouth. It didn't look like this boy was going to beat him, and Harry had given him a reason to do so.

"Akira!" A loud voice called. There were a few boys in the courtyard with staffs as well, and both the sets of boys and girls whipped their staffs in front of them and bowed towards the large man who now strode towards them. "You said the boy would be asleep longer!"

"Sorry, Sensei," Akira said, bowing a little bit. Harry copied the bow, very nervous now. "He looked exhausted, and I thought it best to let him sleep until he awoke naturally."

"Or course," the older man said, and Harry remembered that the man had asked to be called Hayashi-San last night. "You missed breakfast, Harry!"

(Takashi Hayashi POV)

He saw the boy cringe at the mention of breakfast

"I'm so sorry, I promise I will wake up tomorrow and make it. Please don't throw me out!" The boy looked terrified, and as Takashi reached out to pat him on the shoulder, he saw the boy tense up. He withdrew his hand, and looked at Akira, who just shrugged. His son was clearly as confused as he was. Remus had said the boy had a tough childhood, but this behavior was unusual.

"Harry, you don't have to wake up and make breakfast," Akira told the boy. "You are not in trouble, if that is what you are worried about."

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," Harry said, almost if his son had not said anything to him. Then Takashi recognized the look in the boy's eye. It was fear, fear that something painful and hurtful was coming. It was a look that Takashi had not seen in a long time, and to see a boy who was a carbon copy of James with the look in his eye filled Takashi with red-hot anger, which he kept off his face.

James had always had a smile on his face when he had stayed here. He did not devote himself to hard work, but of the 4 marauders he was the heart of the group, making Remus laugh, Sirius smile, and make Peter feel included. Takashi saw James in Harry's messy black hair and hidden smile, but saw the same fear that Peter carried in this young boy, and felt indescribable anger towards Peter, or Wormtail as he had called himself. Takashi could never believe that anyone would betray James, but to learn that Sirius had been punished unfairly and that Peter was responsible for the death of another marauder, the one who was kindest to him felt like a slap to Takashi, who remembered the crazy look in Sirius's eyes in the newspaper article.

Now this boy was before him, clearly expected to be hit for sleeping past breakfast time. Takashi couldn't believe what he was seeing. A hard childhood was one thing. But being beaten, that was something else entirely. Yet the boy in front of him was used to that. Remus had not been entirely honest with him, but while the boy in front of him might bear the monicker of the-boy-who-lived, a more appropriate name might be the-boy-who-suffered, and no one who stayed in his house would feel that way.

"Come, Harry," Takashi said.

"Yes, Hayashi-san" the boy said, and trailed him into the indoor training space. It was empty at that moment, as the only students on weekends were advanced students who were all training outside. Takashi considered the best way to have the conversation he was having with the boy.

"So I understand you are the-boy-who-lived." Takashi saw a glint of anger in Harry's eyes and had to hold back a smile. Remus had been right-James's son had some fire in him. "You don't like the name?"

"If that is what you want to call me that is ok." His face was a mask.

"I'll call you Harry then." A wave of relief washed over the boy who nodded. "Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions you might not like, but I would appreciate it if you did them anyways." Harry nodded cautiously. "The strap you have around you clothing, which is called a gi. I'd like you to unbind it, and then slip the sleeves off. I need to see your build." As he suspected the boy hesitated. "Harry, please."

Harry complied, even though it was clear the boy was unfamiliar with the clothes he was wearing. Takashi was expecting that. He was also now prepared to see a bruise or two. What he was not expecting was more scars on his back than he was comfortable counting including one particularly long and jagged one. Harry rotated at request, and Takashi saw a few less scars on the chest.

"What is the cause of the long scar?" Takashi asked gently, as Harry slipped the sleeves back on and tightened the gi. Harry was instantly defensive, and Takashi sighed. This boy would be a project. "Forgive me. You do not have to answer that." He looked outside, and saw Akira was standing there. He felt a surge of pride as he saw disgust in his son's eyes, directed not at Harry but at the people who had put the scars on him. Akira was standing in his golden gi, which was another note of pride for Takashi.

His son was an extremely talented wizard, and Takashi had been taking him to England for 3 months of the year in the summer to practice magic since he was a baby. He had graduated from school this year in Japan as the top student, and his golden robes has signified that. As a present his father had given him a golden gi to train in. A white robe or gi would signify the use of the dark arts, so Harry wore a simple black gi, though the color would change one day if he took Harry on as his student and the boy showed proficiency.

"Akira!" His son and top pupil snapped to attention and bowed. They might be father and son, but Takashi expected the same level of respect from all his students in public. In private his son was a little more informal, something that Takashi had instilled at a young age. He expected some level of respect, but he always wanted his son to speak his mind and be confident, no matter what or who he faced.

"Yes father?"

"Give me one minute with Harry."

"Of course." Akira walked out into the summer sunshine that was not always common in England.

"Harry, I promised to give you housing this summer, and I will honor that promise. However, as you may recall from last night, I did not commit to train you. Did Remus say what I would teach you, if I so choose?"

"He said something about fighting without magic or a wand?"

"That is certainly part of your education with me." Takashi rubbed his shaved head, the stubble bothering him. When his wife returned that night, she would shave it. She hated the stubble. "In essence, I will teach you to fight in many ways. I have to ask, do you want to learn? It will be a hard tutelage, and I do not think you will enjoy most of the summer."

"I believe I would like to learn."

"I am not your teacher yet. This is the first and most important question I will ask you. You have said you would like to learn. Why?" Harry's eyes took on a thoughtful look. "Akira," Takashi called and his son walked back into the room.

"Yes father?"

"Show Harry around, and please be on your best behavior. He is our guest this summer." Akira bowed and beckoned to Harry. "Harry, I expect your answer tomorrow morning." Harry nodded and followed Akira out into the sun.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

"I must ask that you return the boy to his relative's house," Dumbledore's head in the fire said. "It is not safe for him or you, and the blood wards will soon fail.

"You think I cannot keep the boy safe?" Takashi laughed cruelly. "No normal Death Eaters could break my wards. Even if they did, they would not like what they found here. My son is also a graduate of Mahoutokoro and will provide more than adequate backup. He was the top student this year, the equivalent of your head boy, and I taught him how to fight for real, not like the joke your students get."

"Voldemort and his followers are a real threat," Dumbledore head's continued.

"Has Europe's dark lord truly returned?" Takashi countered.

"No-"

"Then this discussion is pointless." Takashi was angry at the famous English Wizard. He had never been Dumbledore's biggest fan, but he saw the stability he gave England and Europe as a positive. "What is your unholy obsession with this boy anyways? Why send him back to a place where the litany of scars on his back are a map to great pain?"

"There is a lot going on that you do not understand." Dumbledore's head in the fire was agitated.

"Then explain it to me!" Dumbledore remained silent, and Takashi took a deep breath to calm his surging emotions. "I had planned to bring in a guest instructor this summer for the more advanced students. I think I will arramge for Nambung Sa Bum to come for the summer to teach a different style. If you have concerns about his safety, I suggest you take it up with him." Even in a fire, Dumbledore's obvious discomfort was obvious."

"No, no. Nambung will more than suffice. I expect Remus to be given regular access to the boy, as well as progress reports."

"Remus is a friend, and if he wants to send you reports I will read them beforehand. As for what I am obliged to provide you, the only I promise is to return your student as a better wizard." Takashi slashed his hand though the fire, ending the call.

"Is it wise to antagonize the most powerful wizard in Britain, maybe in all of Europe?" His wife asked, coming up behind him.

"Kireina, there is nothing to worry about. You did not see the scars I did today. Besides, I was serious about having Nambung come to help this summer. No one would dare attack with him here, though he would relish the chance to fight without restriction. Nambung needs to cut loose every now and then, and anyone who recognizes his name wouldn't dare give him the opportunity!"

"That's true." His wife looked at his hair critically. "You need a haircut."

"If you wouldn't mind?"

"Call me beautiful again, and then just maybe." Takashi laughed and turned to kiss his wife.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Back to the present! Hope you liked the flashback! It's time to meet a new professor, and hopefully it's not the one you expect.**

Chapter 8: The Hayashi Family

September, 1994

There were no bells chiming that normally awoke him at school. His dormmates slumbered around him. Ron's constant snores, although louder every year, were not what woke him. Nor was it any type of bad dream, something that had plagued him over the summer. Instead, he woke simply because it was time to wake up.

Harry slipped out of bed and looked at his watch as he fished around for clothes in his trunk and slipped on his watch. At the end of the summer, Hayashi-San had declared that for the time being, he could be declared a senior student and temporary graduate, and gave him the watch as a present. It was weird to think of Hayashi-San as anything other than Sensei, the Japanese word for teacher and master, but it was the truth for the time being. He treasured the watch and along with his father's cloak it became one of his most prized possessions. He treated it with extreme care although Hayashi-San had charmed it to never break.

It looked beautiful outside the dorm window, but Harry knew that even in summer, mornings in Scotland could look beautiful and still be bitterly cold. There was not a cloud in the sky, but even as he looked for his trainers, Harry threw on sweatpants and a tracksuit top. He hurried down the stairs, past the yawning fat lady and out into the courtyard. Harry checked his watch as his breath made clouds in the air, the linger effects of the night's cold still filling the air.

It was 6:45, and Harry was a little later than anticipated. He knew it had taken him time to readjust to school, get all his clothes in order, and get outside. Nevertheless, if he acted like this over the summer, he would be on punishment for a week for being late, and he had owned an alarm clock over the break. He promised to be quicker tomorrow, but at that moment it was more important to get started than it was to yell at himself.

He hadn't planned anything to do that morning. Harry wryly remembered that he had realized that lack of planning was a flaw of his that he had planned to fix over the summer. Obviously, he had not learned that lesson. But his blood was flowing from his jog down the stairs, and Harry decided that a run around the lake might give him the inspiration and motivation he was currently lacking.

He set a tough pace but despite his heavy breathing and sweaty brow, a lap around the lake gave him no inspiration. He passed the quidditch stadium, the whopping willow (staying well clear of the tree) and the greenhouses, but even as he saw the steps back up to the castle nothing struck him. It was still early morning, and Harry decided as he pulled away from the castle again that normal morning practice would do for today.

Harry stretched for a moment, made sure that anyone at the entrance to the castle could not see him, and then began the moves of the most basic kata. They were the standard moves that any student under his Sensei would learn, but Harry went through the moves with a passion, urgency, and attention to detail that most casual students would never attain. There was something freeing about the power behind his strikes into the air, letting all the negative emotions out as he exhaled and stuck again and again, imagining striking through an imaginary opponent.

He had learned from other teachers as well that summer, and he went through the moves they had taught him as well with the same intensity. Soon his shirt was soaked with sweat, and even though house elves did laundry every day, Harry knew that the shirt might prove a problem for them. Even quidditch did not cause this level of sweat. Checking his watch, he realized that he was short on time, but that lent itself perfectly to a sprint back to the castle.

The climb at high speed was maybe the toughest part of his morning. The entrance was up a stone path, and Harry managed to crest the rise even as his lungs began to burn. He slowed as he approached the actual entrance to the castle, and was walking normally once he was inside the corridors, even if his breath came quickly. When he arrived at his dorm, he was pleased to see that Ron, Seamus, and Dean were still asleep. Neville was just waking up, and Harry nodded to him as he stripped his clothes down and tossed them in his laundry bin. He grabbed a pair of boxers to replace the sweaty ones he had now as well as a towel, and went to shower.

"What were you up to this morning Harry?" Neville asked down at the breakfast table. Seamus had just joined them, Dean was showering, and Ron still slumbered, with Dean promising to get him out of bed when he headed down. If Ron missed a meal, it would truly be cause for great concern among the Gryffindors, even if it was funny.

"Nothing much," Harry said as he attacked some eggs. "Just a little exercise."

"Exercise like that nonsense last night?" Seamus asked. "Don't get me wrong, the kick was awesome but doing all that work seems silly."

"Well the workout didn't help me with the kick," Harry said, choosing his words carefully. "But the first thing you need to do is develop strength and flexibility, and you can't do that without consistent and serious exercise."

"You are going to wake up early every day?" Seamus asked, clearly disbelieving him. Neville stayed silent, and Harry saw Neville examining him curiously.

"At this point, it is just a habit," Harry explained. "How about it Seamus? I'd be happy to wake you up and you could join me." Seamus's face went white and he shook his head, turning back to his breakfast.

"Could I maybe join you Harry?" Neville asked as Dean sat down. Harry glanced at Neville, eyes a little wide in surprise. He had expected his offer to Seamus to end the conversation, not encourage his sometimes shy friend to ask to come along.

"Ron's up, or getting up," Dean said as he plopped down next to Neville. "Join Harry doing what?"

"His exercises," Neville said.

"That's where you were this morning?" Dean asked, filling his plate, and Harry nodded. "Cool. That will help with quidditch this year, right? Even though we lost Wood, we will have a shot at the cup now that the swirly evil things are gone from school. Dementors are real nasty."

"Yeah." Harry had not had the chance to talk to Angelina since the opening feast, but since it had been less then 12 hours he figured she wouldn't be too mad. But he turned down and looked at the older students clustered around her and saw her eyes flashing, and Harry knew that his comments had not been forgotten.

"Ah, my fourth year lions," Professor McGonagall said, coming up behind them. "I hope you all had a good summer." There were mummers of agreement. "I see Mr. Weasley has not accompanied you this morning."

"He's getting up now," Harry said. "I'd be happy to give him his schedule Professor, if that is why you are here."

"Indeed," the headmistress of his house said, handing out a roll of parchment to each student, and two to Harry. "Mr. Potter, I understand that you had an interesting summer."

"Yes, I did not go to the Dursleys," Harry told his transfigurations professor. Neville perked up at that. "I think you actually know the person who took me in over the summer. Or at least he said he knew you, Professor."

"Oh?"

"His name is Takashi Hayashi. He was my Sensei over the summer."

"Oh my!" McGonagall's exclamation caused every Gryffindor and most of the students at the nearby Hufflepuff table to look up in surprise at the normally reserved professor. "That is not a name I expected to hear. I assume he said only horrible things about me," McGonagall exclaimed.

"Actually Professor, just the opposite," Harry told her. "He was very complimentary of you, said you had done a wonderful job managing the house any time you came up." It was easy to say, since that was not a lie. Hayashi-San was incredibly complimentary of McGonagall and the half-goblin Charms professor Flitwick. However, all of the other teachers were deemed to be miserable according to his Sensei, although Professor Sprout's lessons were determined to be near acceptable after Harry had given a detailed description.

"That's surprising to hear," She said, composing herself as most of the students looked away. "I didn't know he was in England."

"He comes every summer," Harry said. "He is a very strict, but is also a wonderful teacher if you are willing to work hard." She nodded, clearly not surprised. "His son just graduated, and was the top student."

"Graduated from Mahoutokoro as their best student!" Harry nodded. "Well, when you next speak with Hayashi-San, tell him congratulations from me."

"Uh, I guess I could professor, but I think it would be kind of unnecessary." His head of house looked at him curiously. "I mean, Akira is obviously teaching a subject this year. Why else would he be here?" Harry pointed at the Japanese man sitting at the end of the professor's table.

"He does bear a resemblance," McGonagall said, examining the new teacher.

"I'm pretty sure he just doesn't want to be associated with his father and wants to be his own man," Harry said. He hadn't remembered seeing Akira last night, and was curious to talk to him and see what he was doing here. "Anyways, you are lucky to have him." McGonagall nodded and started to walk away. "Professor," Harry called out as she walked away, remembering a conversation he had with Neville the day before.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Harry shook his finger at her.

"Just Harry will do, Professor." McGonagall gave him a half smile.

"Very well, Harry. Make sure Mr. Weasley gets his schedule." She walked away, and Neville laughed at him.

"I've never seen her like that!" Neville said. Harry nodded in agreement. He had been a little surprised by her strong reaction as well. Apparently his Sensei had not been entirely truthful when he said the professors at Hogwarts would not know him for the most part. But Hayashi-San rarely lied, and was instead the master of saying things that were open to interpretation. Though his son was here too, and that was the most pressing issue. Issue was not the right word, Harry thought. This was a wonderful surprise. Harry was a little worried Akira would not want to acknowledge they knew each other as he excused himself and walked up to the edge of the table Akira sat at.

"Hey, Professor Hayashi," Harry said cautiously. Akira's eyes lit on him and he sprung down from the table, wrapping Harry in a tight hug. His worries about having to pretend they were strangers were unfounded. Harry smiled as the man who had become a brother hugged him.

"Harry! I'm sorry I didn't tell you I'd be here this year," Akira said. "After I learned, I told dad I wanted it to be a surprise. And while I would like some formality when we are around other students like Dad taught you, if you do not call me Akira when it is just us and your friends I will be very cross." Akira released Harry and gave him a hard stare, and Harry knew that while respect was something that Hayashi-San had stressed over the summer, disobeying a direct order from his senior student and now Professor wasn't worth an argument.

"Of course," Harry said, and then added in a quieter voice, "It's great to see you Akira."

"I am excited to be here," Akira said. "Do you want to guess what I am teaching?"

"I can say I honestly have no clue," Harry admitted. "I don't see any missing teachers, and I guess that Master Auror Moody," Harry said, indicating the man with the roving eye and peg-leg "is teaching defence, like Remus said."

"Well, Moony was partially right," Akira said. "He is here to teach defence, but I think you know what is going on this year." Harry nodded. He knew what the event was, but there was no point getting into this now. "Well, Dumbledore will announce it tonight, and I will take on most of the defence classes as Moody focuses on security for the…special event."

"That's good," Harry said. "Well, I have Defense today so I guess I'll see what he is like."

"I'll take over once the event starts," Akira explained. "But I might pop up in different classes as a guest instructor. Maybe I'll go check in on this Snape guy you told me about." Akira's grin was catlike, seeming so innocent but hiding a very nefarious intent. Harry had told Akira a few stories about Snape at night, after training. Akira normally wouldn't be so close with a student of his father's, but Harry was a live-in student, a wizard, and Akira's roommate so they became very close. Harry did not have much in the way of family, but he knew that Akira would always have his back in a way no one else ever had. Well, Hermione always had his back, but there were certain things he just discuss with her.

"That would be fun," Harry admitted.

"Don't expect any favouritism in class," Akira said, and Harry knew he was serious about that. He would expect nothing less. "I expect you to be at the top of defence class after this summer. I will be training hard before I take over. It wouldn't do to have my student showing me up" Harry smiled and looked down at his shoes, a little embarrassed by the compliment. "Now get going, Harry. Let's talk after the announcement tonight. Bring along you friends too. I'd love to meet them. Feel free to be friendly when you see me in the halls, but I think its best if we keep the fact that we were roommates for the better part of 2 months to ourselves." Harry nodded and glanced down at his schedule as he walked away and gagged. Double potions to start the year, and with Slytherin too. Rotten luck. He didn't like Mondays, and now he had a concrete reason to dislike them.

"Hey Harry," a girl said, walking out of the great hall with him.

"Susan?" Harry said in surprise. He had wanted a chance to talk to her in the first few weeks, and he glanced surreptitiously at his watch, and saw now was the perfect chance with 20 minutes until class.

"What was that reaction from McGonagall? She was talking to you, and then…" Susan shook her head. "Even when she takes points for truly awful behaviour, I have never heard her be that loud."

"That's fair," Harry agreed. "It almost broke my ear drums. Not a good way to start the morning, that's for sure."

"So what's the deal?' Susan said, leaning up against a nearby wall. "Seems you have got a few new secrets."

"Well, maybe," Harry said. It was all well and good for him to learn about the intriguing Hufflepuff, but he was less interested in sharing about himself.

"How about a game?' Susan suggested. "I get to ask a question that you answer truthfully, and then we switch?"

"How do you know I will answer truthfully?" Harry asked.

"I don't" Susan replied. Harry was a little surprised by that response. "Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith, and I think I want the information you have." She indicated a near by bench and both sat.

"Ok let's play. I'll go first," Harry said, taking the initiative. "Where did you learn to play chess?"

"My aunt taught me. Why was McGonagall so surprised?"

"She knew the person I stayed with over the summer. Who is your aunt?"

"Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE." Harry's eyes narrowed a little at that information. "Who did you stay with over the summer?"

"A man named Hayashi-San." Susan's eyes remained blank, and Harry knew she was frustrated by the fact that the name meant nothing. "On the train, Hannah said you would be Lady Bones in 3 years. Wouldn't that only apply is your aunt is dead?"

"My aunt was not married to Lord Bones. My mother **was**," Susan said, stressing the past tense. Harry nodded silently. He wouldn't look at her with pity or sadness. She wouldn't accept or want that. Just a nod that he understood, and that is was her turn. "Who is Hayashi-San?"

"He is a teacher," Harry said with a smile, and Susan stood up, clearly annoyed by Harry's non-answers and having to remember her mother.

"You are not making this game any fun," Susan told him. "You have to give to receive."

"Well, I better not be late to potions," Harry said, strolling away as if he had not heard her. He sensed her turn angrily and walk back into the great hall. It had been an interesting conversation, he had not broken any promises, and he had gained a great deal information in return. Susan had obviously expected to trick him playing the game, but was probably frustrated to find someone who was able to easily outmanoeuvre her at a game of her own making.

It was 15 minutes later, at 8:58 that Harry arrived at potions. During his last week staying with Hayashi-San, they had discussed his first day in potions. Ron and Hermione were in the back but Harry ignored them and walked to the desk right in front of Snape, and started to unpack his cauldron to the murmur of surprise of everyone else in class.

He heard the bell chime to signify the beginning of the class day, and felt someone slide into the seat next to him. It was Daphne with a small scowl on her face.

"Hello," Harry said, curious as to why she was sitting here. Maybe she did have a crush on him, thought he expected Daphne was playing a different game than that, and he had just not figured it out yet. The Yule Ball was a small price to pay for a way into Slytherin. Harry had to stop himself from chuckling at the thought. It had taken 3 years, but maybe he was showing the cunning and planning that the sorting hat sensed from him as he was almost named as a snake.

"Don't get too chummy, Potter," Daphne spat at him. "I'm late, and this is the only seat. It helps that I'll get a front row seat to watch Snape lose it when he sees you at the front of the class."

"I really hope he does," Harry said, taking a deep breath and readying his mind. "You'll get to enjoy the show." As he finished speaking, Snape stepped out from his office, his cloak bellowing behind him.

"This is the year where we see who truly has the skills to learn the art of potion making," Snape said, his voice nasal and low-pitched at the same time. It set Harry's teeth on edge, and only a deep breath caused him to avoid instantly antagonizing Snape. This was like fishing, and Akira had taken him a few times over the summer. Sometimes you needed to let the fish come to you. "Ah Potter," Snape said. "Trying to ruin the grade of another house?"

"Not at all, Professor," Harry said, keeping his voice as non-confrontational as possible. "Daphne is just stuck with me because she arrived a little late."

"Lying to a Professor?" Snape sneered at Harry. "10 points from Gryffindor." Harry couldn't keep the smile from his face. Daphne had accidentally given him the perfect bait.

"Oh, so you can read my mind?" Harry jabbed, and Snape turned to stare at Harry, looking right into his eyes. He felt the touch of Snape's legilimency and let him into his mind, and then imagined a dark lake, allowing a drop of water to fall into it. He then closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into his mind.

"What is this, Potter?" Snape said. He was stuck in the middle of the lake, unable to move for fear of sinking into the water.

"Professor, you should know better than to try and use passive legilimency against a student who has strong occlumency. If they catch you, they might trap you and you could get really hurt. Maybe if you apologize, I'll let you go. If not," Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, I might decide to keep you here until you go insane?" Snape whipped his wand out, stared at Harry and almost shouted his spell

"Legilimens!" He seemed confused when nothing happened.

"No, Severus, that won't work." The professor was clearly upset by Harry's casual use of his name. "This is my mind, and I make the rules. I think I'll have to punish you for that." Harry pretended to muse his options. "Oh, I know what I'll do!" He shoved the image he had planned into Snape's mind, and then blew gently, as Snape turned into dust and was banished from his mind.

Snape fell back onto the floor of the classroom, and all of the students leaned forward. The potions professor was clearly confused, and then the image of Remus about to eat him appeared in his mind, and he struggled to stand, crawling backwards on the floor. Then the image was gone, and Severus Snape was faced with the smiling face of Harry Potter.

Harry was thrilled his Sensei's plan had worked so well. Hayashi-San had offered to teach him legilimency too, but Harry wanted nothing to do with reading minds. But Snape had made a foolish mistake by trying a much weaker version of legilimency on his, and any time he tried to read Harry's mind without an obvious spell, he would see the image of Remus. It was not like he could accuse Harry of anything without looking like a fool or admitting he was illegally using a skill he should not have.

"Well," Snape said, standing as his legs shook, the image of the werewolf so clear in his mind he could almost feel the hot breath of the monster. "Your potion today will be the confusing concoction." Snape was clearly thrown, as that was a potion he had taught them the year before. "Get to work with your partner."

"Wow," Daphne breathed at Harry started to prepare the ingredients, taking out his potions book, "What did you do, Potter?"

"Greengrass," Harry said quietly, "I could almost guess you aren't my friend, calling me Potter. And I wouldn't go giving out that information to unfriendly people, would I?" Daphne was upset, but got to work and they sat in silence, working on the potion for the rest of the class. Harry suspected that while it was one thing to be friendly when it was just the two of them, it was another when surrounded by her classmates His potion looked accurate enough, and Harry bottled it and left it on Snape's desk. The potions professor was clearly shaken, and Harry moved right next to him, leaned in, and whispered "try that on me again and I'll show you what a real legilimency attack looked like." It was a bluff of course, but Harry could tell from the look in Snape's eyes as he walked out of class that his professor did not know that.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Woah, is it just me or is Harry really strong? Yeah, this shouldn't be a surprise. Regardless, I think he always had the tools to be have really excellent occlumency, and all he lacked was a decent teacher. Speaking of teachers…**

Chapter 9: Unbreakable Mind

September, 1994

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Professor Moody snapped. "I am here as a favor to Dumbledore, and I have heard about some of the other teachers you have had. That is not what my class will be. I will not coddle you or hold your hand. You will learn about the dark arts, and that is what I will show you." He indicated Akira at the back of the class. "Introduce yourself!"

"Hi, I am Professor Hayashi," Akira said. Harry had been sure that no one had seen him go up and talk to Akira, but Susan and Neville both glanced at him, remembering him mentioning the name. "I'll be helping out with a few different classes this year, but Professor Moody will be busy with other things during the year, so I'll take over as your primary defense instructor in October after I have some time to observe. I'm looking forward to working with all you."

"Why are Neville and Susan staring at you?" Ron whispered to Harry.

"I mentioned that I know Professor Hayashi," Harry whispered to him. Ron nodded thoughtfully. "I'll introduce you and Hermione to him tonight."

"That's cool," Ron said. "He seems nice."

"He is, but he will be a hard teacher. He's bloody brilliant." Professor Moody was talking, so Harry turned and paid attention, and he felt Ron sigh in frustration, but follow his lead.

"The strongest spells a Dark Wizard has are the three unforgivable curses. Who can tell me one?"

"The imperious curse," Draco said.

"Correct, Malfoy," Moody said, his glass eye rolling wildly in his head. "Your father would be well aware of that one, wouldn't he?" Moody opened a small case, and a spider crawled out. "Let's see what that curse does." Moody snapped his wand out and said "Imperio." The spider snapped to attention, and Moody moved his wand around, moving the spider as if it was on a line. "Hop on Malfoy's head," Moody said, and the Spider did just that.

"Get it off!" Malfoy cried, as most of the people laughed. He jumped up and tried to swat the spider away. Crabbe managed to knock it off, and the spider scurried towards Malfoy.

"Come back here," Moody snapped and the spider scuttled back to his desk. "The imperio curse gets the victim to do whatever you want. What's another curse?" Hermione's hand shot up, but Moody looked around for another student.

"The cruciatus curse," Neville said quietly.

"Yes!" Moody said, almost seeming excited. "The torture curse." He turned to the spider, his wand on it. "Crucio." The spider seemed to contort, and Harry watched in horror as the spider started to cry out. "Crucio!" Moody yelled again, and the cry was even louder, and everyone in class turned away. Harry saw a tear appear in Neville's eye, and only the presence of Akira and the stopped him from disarming the professor.

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled.

"That's what you would be screaming!" Moody replied. Akira stepped next to Moody, having moved quietly and silently from the back of the room and pushed his wand away. He leaned in and whispered something to Moody. The screaming of the spider stopped. Akira stepped back away, and Professor Moody looked back at the class. Harry saw the professor look at his eyes, and felt a gentle touch in his mind.

His defense was instantly up, the lake in his mind and a drop of water starting an endless cycle of ripples, but even as began to search for the intruder, the touch was gone as Moody looked away. Harry took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Had two consecutive professors just tried legilimency on him? And why would the old master auror want to get into Harry's mind?

"And the final curse?" Moody asked

"The killing curse," Hermione said quietly. Everyone else was still stunned by the torture of the spider.

"Correct." Moody placed the spider in front of Hermione, pointed his wand, and said the two words that gave Harry nightmares. Green poured out from his wand, and the spider's legs buckled and it went motionless and silent. It took another few deep breaths for Harry to regain control of his emotions. "Only one person has ever survived this curse… And they are in this room." The room was silent

"Right!" Akira said. "The imperious curse is a very dangerous curse, but of the three, it is the only one that can be resisted. Professor Moody will put you all under the curse, and you will try and resist it. If the curse is weak, you can resist it, or break it with this spell." Moody took another spider out and leveled the unforgivable curse against it. Akira brought his wand down in a swooshing movement from his right shoulder to his left hip. "Finite incantatem." The spider ran back into the box unprompted, free from the spell.

"Pair up with someone not in your house," Moody said. "None of this ridiculous house loyalty." Harry nodded at Ron and looked around. He would have loved to pair up with his best mate, but the professor had given an express instruction, and Harry realized that potions in the morning had been the first time he had ever paired up with someone in a different class. He looked around and saw Susan talking to Hannah. He walked over to Neville, grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the girls.

"Susan, do you and Hannah need partners?" Harry asked, and he saw the red-head almost exhale in relief. "Neville, why don't you pair up with Hannah?" Neville nodded, but Hannah was clearly as worried as he was.

"Are you sure Harry?" Susan whispered. "Neville looks like he is about to jump out of his skin!"

"Oh, I think Neville might surprise you," Harry said. Groups of students were walking up to the front, and Moody cast the spell. So far, no one had been able to break it, either on their own or with the help of their partner. Neville and Hannah were front of them, and Moody pointed his wand at Hannah and instantly her face went blank.

"Ok, march in place," Moody said, and as he said it, Neville made the motion and stuttered "Fin-Finite incantatem!" Hannah hesitated for a moment, and then continued to march in place. Neville shook his head, but to his surprise, Akira patted him on the back.

"Very well done! What's your name?"

"Neville Longbottom, Professor Hayashi," Neville said, his head down.

"Professor Moody is casting a very strong imperious spell. To be able to make the girl even slightly hesitate is impressive. You are in Gryffindor?" Neville nodded. "10 points to Gryffindor for being the first person to cause any sort of reaction." Neville smiled, and Harry patted him on the shoulder as Susan moved to the front of the line, Harry next to her.

"Well, you resisted one unforgivable," Moody said, his voice almost a growl. "Let's see if you are two for two." Harry created the lake in his mind, but over Moody's shoulder he saw an almost unnoticeable shake of the head from Akira. "Imperio!" Harry felt a strange sensation wash over him and Harry smiled at the professor. His mind was screaming silently, insistent on breaking out of the spell but Harry forced his defenses down. He heard Susan say something, but nothing mattered except obeying the man in front of him.

"Turn to your partner," the man with his wand on him said, and Harry turned to Susan, the smile still plastered on his face. "Now, take out your wand," the man said, and Harry obliged. "Stun her," the man said, and as Harry raised his wand, the lake appeared in his mind, and a drop fell into the lake unbidden, and Harry was free. But Akira had told him to play along.

Harry took a half step forward so quickly that he knew no one would notice it. As he took that step, his right foot flicked out, knocking Susan's left foot off the floor. Any decent martial artist would instantly rebalance on one foot and would do whatever they needed to do to reestablish both feet on the floor. But Susan was not a martial artist, and that nudge was enough to send her tumbling to the floor as Harry said "Stupefy!" and a red beam shot through the space Susan's head had been a second early.

"Finite incantatem!" Akira yelled, and although it did not affect Harry, he slumped over, as if he had just been released. "Professor Moody!"

"I thought he would resist it," Moody said, staring at Harry. Again Harry felt the slight presence in his mind, and this time Harry reacted angrily, grabbing the presence and expelling it forcefully, but the professor didn't even flinch. "Girl, your name?"

"Susan Bones," Susan said, climbing to her feet.

"Amelia's niece?" Susan nodded, and Moody scoffed. "Hufflepuff then. 10 points for dodging the curse." Susan started to say something, but Harry bumped into her, and she looked at him, concern in her eyes.

"Harry, are you alright?"

"Who's next?" Moody asked and the Patil sisters stepped forward

"Fine," Harry said as he let himself be dragged to a chair at the back of the classroom.

"Then why did you knock into me?" Susan said, but Harry didn't answer. "You didn't want me telling him that you knocked me out of the way of the spell did you?"

"What are you talking about?" Harry said, though the moment it was out of his mouth he knew it was a bad lie.

"Harry, I felt you kick my ankle. If I hadn't been so shocked at you firing a spell at me, I would have been mad." Susan grabbed Harry's chin and forced her to look at him. "You resisted the curse, didn't you?"

"Keep it down," Harry hissed, and Susan nodded. "Yes," he said, almost so quiet that Harry knew she might not hear it. "Trying to mess with my mind is, well, not advisable."

"So you can resist legilimency as well?" Susan asked. Harry looked at her, surprised she knew the advanced spell. "I told you, my aunt is the head of the DMLE. She taught me some basic mental defenses too, but I can't resist a strong legilimens."

"Susan, this is heading towards the realm of stuff I'm not supposed to answer," Harry whispered. The class was still filing towards Moody, being cursed, and eventually Akira would end the spell. Neville had been the only person to cause even the slightest hesitation, and Harry could see Hermione who had paired up with the Hufflepuff Ernie McMillian, was upset she had failed to break him out for the curse.

"Once you have all gone," Akira said as there was no one in front of Moody, "please switch and come back up. There will be no surprise stunners this time." Akira glared at Moody, who ignored him.

"Harry, do you think you can break me out of it?" Susan whispered to him as they got back into line. There were only two groups in front of them.

"I'd say above average chance," Harry told her, his voice quiet to make sure no one overheard.

"I know that for some reason you are hiding your abilities from Professor Moody but being under the effects of the curse looks really creepy." The group in front of them stepped forward. "I mean, you were smiling at me, and then half a second later I just avoided getting stunned. Professor Hayashi taught you how to resist it and break the curse, didn't he? Please just break me out of it, and if you want, I'll pretend I broke it on my own." His partner looked absolutely terrified, and Harry reached out and squeezed her hand.

"Ok. I won't let anything happen." They both looked down, and then yanked their hands away, Harry a little surprised by his forwardness. He didn't know where that gesture had come from. But he had made a promise to his partner, and he never broke his word. They stepped to the front of the line, and Susan stared at Moody's wand in fear and he hissed the spell. Harry formed the impenetrable lake in his mind and brought his wand down.

"Imperio!"

"Finite incantatem!" Harry was surprised by how good an actor Susan was. She barely made a movement, but Susan's eyes were a little more focused.

"Climb up onto the desk," Moody said, and Susan complied. "Now jump off." Susan bent her knees as if she was about to jump off, and then shook her head. She stood up and stared Moody in the eyes.

"Nice try," Susan said, glaring at Moody.

"Well done, Ms. Bones!" Akira said, helping her down. "20 points for such an impressive mental strength!" He clapped a few times, and then motioned the next few forward.

"Thanks," Susan said, taking his hand and squeezing it.

"No problem," Harry said. "There is a trick to it."

"It felt really weird, even for a second." Harry nodded in agreement. "It was like Professor Moody was the only person in the world, and I had to do whatever it took to make him happy."

"Yeah, it's downright eerie."

"Harry, you have always been good at Defense, haven't you?" Susan asked. "I heard a rumor about second year…" She trailed off, and Harry shook his head.

"There are a lot of rumors that always go about school. Most of them aren't true. I'm not the heir of Slytherin, for example."

"That was always a ridiculous rumor. I never believed that," Susan said. "But that's not the rumor I'm talking about."

"I'm afraid I can't help you all that much," Harry told her with a strained smile. "I don't recall any other rumors about me."

"Of course you wouldn't know." Susan gave him a smile. "Hufflepuffs may gossip, but we make sure that we don't spread it outside the house. The rumor stayed in Hufflepuff alone, in part because it sounds ridiculous."

"Almost every rumor about Harry is ridiculous," Hermione said, making Susan jump a little. Harry realized that his partner had not realized Hermione had come up behind him. "Have you ever read those crazy books about him?"

"There are books about me?" Harry said, very confused.

"You should see Ginny's collection," Hermione told him with a laugh. "If your stories are believed, you can kill a dragon with a glare, and spend your preteen years training to be a secret assassin."

"Well, this rumor is nothing like that…well, it's similar level of crazy," Susan admitted. "I had trouble believing it, but Cedric swears by it."

"Cedric is who?"

"Seriously Harry!" Hermione replied, giving him that exasperated glance he knew so well. "Cedric is the seeker for Hufflepuff. You know, the match they had to abandon because you were attacked by Dementors?"

Harry nodded in realization. Cedric was Cedric Diggory, and when he put the pieces together, Harry knew the student Susan was talking about. Cedric was one of the tougher seekers he had gone up against 3rd year. He would have faced him 2nd year as well, but quidditch had been cancelled before the teams met. Cedric was a good flyer and while Harry thought that while he could beat Cedric in a 1 on 1, Cedric was an impressive seeker in his own right.

What impressed Harry more about Cedric was that even though his team had won the match, he had offered Oliver Wood a rematch, knowing that the quidditch cup meant so much to Oliver Wood and feeling that his victory had been unfair since he had been uncontested in his catching of the snitch. Oliver had turned it down and had ended up winning the cup in his final year, but the act of kindness had always stuck with Harry.

He seemed like a generally good guy, and was a talented wizard, placing near the top of his class and was generally well liked. Harry wouldn't be so foolish to call them friends, but due to quidditch they would have what Harry called a "nodding" relationship. All of this made it surprising that Cedric was the one spreading gossip.

"Right. I do know him."

"Yeah, I figured," Susan continued. "He said that second year, the beast released from the chamber of secrets was a basilisk, and that you," Susan said, pointing at Harry, "killed it." Harry shrugged his shoulders, refusing to answer the question. If he had been alone, the matter would have been settled there. But Hermione was with them too.

"How did he learn that?" Hermione gasped, and Susan turned to Hermione, surprise plastered all over her face. Harry suppressed a groan. Susan had been fishing, and Hermione had jumped at the bait. The last thing he needed was more attention being drawn to him.

"That story was true?" Susan said, and Harry saw Hermione's shocked expression change to sadness as she realized she had just spilled a giant secret.

"Oh, no, I just… I mean," Hermione stuttered, and Susan took a step back.

"Susan." Harry said, grabbing herd hand again. There was no weird feeling this time, just fear. "Please. Let that remain a rumor. It's the only way."

"Harry!" Susan said. "You should tell everyone! You would be the hero of the school!"

"Susan," Harry said quietly, talking his other hand and placing it on the hand he already held, "I don't want to be a hero. I don't want any acclaim. I just want to go to school, do homework, and learn. I want to fret about the fact that I'm too afraid to talk to my crush. I don't want to be the boy-who-lived. I'd prefer to be just Harry. Please." Harry dropped her hand, and saw she was mulling over what he said. "Hermione, let's go get lunch." Hermione trailed out behind him, leaving Susan there."

"Harry, I'm so sorry," Hermione said as they walked towards the great hall. "I thought she knew the story."

"It's ok, Hermione," Harry said. He was upset, but he couldn't stay mad at Hermione. He was never really mad at Hermione, not after everything she did for him. "I don't think Susan is someone to spread rumors outside of her friend group, and there is no way to confirm the story." He turned and gave a half-hearted smile. "Besides, it's only one more person who knows. What could go wrong?"

"Harry, I promise, I won't mess up again!"

"Hermione." Harry gave an exasperated sigh, and patted her on the shoulder. Don't make a stupid promise you can't keep." Hermione looked hurt and Harry just shook his head. "I'm not saying you would hurt me, Hermione. I'm just saying that it would be silly for me to expect you to be perfect. Nobody is perfect, Hermione. I'm not expecting you to be. Just be my friend, always. Be Harry's friend"

"Always, for Harry." Hermione said, a tear falling as she grabbed his hand.

"That's good enough for Harry," Harry said. "And with you, that's all I ever am. Thank you." Hermione nodded. "Now, it's time for lunch."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Maybe it's time for Harry to be taken down a peg. I wonder if I know someone who can do that? I will also note that I know that I have changed what the schedule for 4****th**** year Hogwarts looks like. I will call artistic license on that change.**

**Also, I am American and as such will be busy thanksgiving weekend and Chapter 11 is one of my shortest, so two chapters today. Back To Monday Friday updates next week.**

Chapter 10: The Role of a Brother

September, 1994

Harry took lunch to put the problem of the story of the basilisk from his mind. He didn't think Susan would spread the rumor, but he knew that she might confirm the story to Cedric. The worst thing she could do would be to tell her best friend Hannah, even if Susan made Hannah promise not to tell. The moment 4 people knew something, it was no longer a secret, and for once in his life Harry wanted to have a simple school year. Judging from his first day, this year would be complicated enough.

The only class Harry had after lunch was transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. She took him aside for a moment at the beginning of class, telling him that while she was happy he was comfortable enough with her to allow her to use his first name, it would not do to show favoritism, and that she would refer to him by his last name while other students were around. Harry agreed, and then focused on the task that day.

McGonagall had stated that, much like Snape, this was the year where those who wanted to attempt to achieve an Outstanding on their O.W.L. in transfiguration would have to start to excel. To that affect, she produced Guinea pigs, and asked the class to turn them into pin cushions with exactly 3 pins. Harry used the technique he had used all day and allowed his mind to empty. Then with the gesture and a soft spell, Harry focused his magic on the animal.

For most of the class, the animal remained totally unbothered, and around him, Harry saw that his classmates, including Hermione were struggling with the task. As the bell rang, Harry gave a half-hearted gesture with his wand, and he heard his guinea pig shriek. Harry turned, surprised as the legs of the guinea pig were replaced by the soft fabric of cushioning.

"Excellent, Mr. Potter!" His head of house said. "Has anyone else managed to get even close?" Everyone glanced down, and Harry turned to Hermione and Ron and gave a small smile. He felt more powerful this morning than he had the day he had conjured the patronus to save his godfather and his past self. "10 points to Gryffindor." The bell rang and the students began to file out of class.

"Well, I've still got divinations before dinner," Ron said as they walked out of class. "Better than runes at night on Thursday."

"Probably true," Harry agreed. "But like I said, I don't think I could take another year of lying about seeing my death in a ridiculous crystal ball."

"But didn't Trelawney tell the truth about Wormtail last year?" Ron said. "Not exactly, but if we had listened maybe we could have stopped him. We could have freed Padfoot."

"Prophecy is a tricky thing," Harry told his friend. "Acting on them sometimes invalidates them, and there is something called sensitive dependence on initial conditions."

"What?' Ron looked as puzzled as he had ever seen.

"I've read about that!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's called the butterfly effect, right?"

"That's the easier name for it," Harry said. "But it's more complex." He patted Ron on the shoulder. "Go predict my death a few times, and Hermione and I will see you at dinner. I can explain it then." He trotted off in the direction of the common room, Hermione behind him.

"Harry, what happened over the summer?" She asked as they gave the password to the fat lady and moved into the common room.

"You'll have to be more specific," Harry said as he took his robe off.

"For one," Hermione said, pointing at him, "you have clothes that come much closer to fitting." Harry looked down at jeans that didn't fall down without a hand in the pocket. His shirt fit snuggly too, although this had been one from earlier in the summer and it was a little tighter around the chest and arms which looked different than they had 2 months ago when he had been given the shirt.

"Different hand-me downs," Harry sad, which was the truth.

"You are taller," Hermione continued, "more confident, and much stronger. Magically as well as physically. Your letters were vague and never really went into detail about what you were doing over the summer. Your essay for Runes was really good." Even after their discussion, Hermione had insisted that Harry let her look over his essay and she had told him after potions that she had been really impressed.

"I thought you would want all of that for me," Harry said, confused as he plopped down on the couch.

"I do," Hermione said as she sat next to him. "I just want to know how." Harry narrowed his eyes. Hermione seemed almost desperate, and while Harry was comfortable lying from experience, the look Hermione had in his eyes along with the morals that had been instilled in him this summer stopped falsehood from spilling from his mouth. Not with Hermione.

"It's hard to explain." Hermione looked hurt, and Harry knew that he had to make a decision. Then he remembered something from earlier today. "It's probably best if I don't explain." Hermione turned away in a huff. "Hermione, I just said **I** couldn't explain." She didn't turn around. "Someone else might be better at explaining."

"Who do you mean?" Hermione asked, although her voice was still a little higher than usual, so Harry knew she was still upset more than he would like.

"Later," Harry said. "We should get to work on the homework McGonagall gave us." He had chosen his diversion well, and he and Hermione sat together, writing out the notes on the theory behind animal transfiguration into unusual objects until dinner, when they joined Ron in the dining hall.

"Ok," Seamus said as they sat at the table. "So Ron said you would tell us all about this special thing for divination?" Lavender and Parvati leaned over eager to learn more about the subject they loved.

"No, it's not like that," Harry protested, but the Gryffindors from his year who were in the class had crowded around him. "Fine, I'll try. It's something called sensitive dependence on initial conditions, or more simply, the butterfly effect."

"That sounds complicated," Dean said. "Just a bunch of fancy words put together."

"You are right," Harry said, "and it's a stupid name, but it makes sense. I'll try an example. Pretend for a moment, that I have the third eye." Lavender and Parvati giggled at that. "Ridiculous, I know. But let's say I make a prophecy that Ron is going to kill Seamus tonight. Seamus, would you walk away after what I said?"

"Obviously not," Seamus said. "Then he might kill me!"

"So, you could get up and throw a dangerous curse at Ron," Harry explained. "But then Ron throws a shield up, and your spell bounces off, and wounds Parvati. Lavender is so mad at you that she throws a curse at you and that kills you. You died, and it was because of Ron. So did the prophecy come true?"

"Of course not," Hermione said. "Because the prophecy said Ron would kill Seamus. The whole subject is ridiculous."

"Right, the prophecy did not come true. But suppose Seamus was destined to die tonight? Because he effected the initial condition, the prophecy was changed. He heard it and decided to act on it, therefore making it true. The only way that it could be proved true is if someone, due to his attack, Seamus died."

"So, basically you can make a prophecy true if you act on it?" Dean said. Harry nodded. "Doesn't that mean that if you don't act on it, it won't come true?"

"What if Seamus didn't attack Ron, and then later tonight he beat Ron at Chess? Ron got so mad he banished the rook into Seamus, and the rook stuck a sword in Seamus's eye? Seamus didn't act on the prophecy, so it came true."

"So basically any prophecy is going to come true," Lavender said. She stuck out her tongue at Hermione. "Sounds like a perfect subject."

"Sorry Lavender, that's not exactly right. Dean jumped ahead of my explanation." Harry said. "If a prophecy is true, then acting on the conditions of that prophecy can make the end result happen through other means, because you made a change to the initial conditions. Simply by hearing a prophecy, things change. Suppose the prophecy wasn't supposed to be heard by Dean, but I tell him later. Because he is friends with Seamus, he kills Ron. Now Seamus doesn't die, but the prophecy was telling the truth? What happens now?" Everyone looked at him confused.

"Divination can be useful if you can predict the future," Harry said, "but even if you are sure that your predications are 100% accurate, the people who hear it and how they react are often not taken into effect by predictions. A prediction is something that can come true, a series of events that may occur, or are even probable to occur. But if something that effects the original set of facts that caused that prophecy to be uttered changed, then the prophecy is invalid."

"That is not helpful at all," Seamus told him, although Parvati and Lavender were staring at him in admiration.

"Didn't say it would be," Harry reminded Seamus, who nodded. "Maybe I bottled the explanation. Hermione could give it a go."

"No, it's brilliant," Lavender said. "You should have stayed in divination, Harry."

"Yeah!" Parvati agreed. "Maybe you could help predict our deaths and then we could change the conditions. We just have to know what the conditions are!" She looked at Harry. "How do you know what the conditions are?"

"I have no idea," Harry admitted. "Maybe asked Professor Trelawney. She can tell you more than I can." The two girls nodded and turned to their dinner.

"That was mean, Harry," Hermione whispered to her. "Professor Trelawney clearly won't have any idea what they are talking about."

"I know," Harry whispered back. "Serves her right for wasting a year of my life." He gave his best friend a wicked smile as he turned back to her food. "Besides, everyone learned something. No day is a waste if you learn something new." The rest of dinner conversation focused on the new defense teacher and his assistant.

"The younger professor is super cute," Parvati said. "His arms are the size of trees." Harry rolled his eyes. He knew that as a martial artist, Akira did not wear jewelry, but when he was out socially, he wore the ring of a wizard who was promised to marry. Akira had told Harry over the summer he did not want to talk about his marriage, which would happen soon enough and Harry didn't press after guaranteeing he would get an invitation to the ceremony.

"Sure, but Mad-Eye is a crazy teacher," Dean countered. "Wonder what special thing the professor is here to oversee?" As Dean finished speaking, Dumbledore stood behind him and the hall quieted.

"Think we are about to find out," Ron whispered, and Hermione glared at her. "What, I'm not allowed to speak while Dumbledore does?"

"Ron, I think you will want to listen to this announcement," Harry said seriously, and Ron glanced at Harry, who had his hands knitted together in front of him. Ron nodded, and turned to look at the headmaster.

"Some of you may have wondered why I did not give an introduction with the sorting last night, as I usually do." Dumbledore looked around the hall, his gaze penetrating. Harry thought he saw Dumbledore's eyes settle on him, and he quickly yanked his gaze downward. Catching Snape unaware was one thing, but Harry knew he had no defense against Dumbledore's mental powers. Hayashi-Sensei had advised him to simply avoid eye-contact with the headmaster.

"Part of the season was that our new professors were not here yet. I have the honor of introducing two defense against the dark arts teachers. The first I'm sure some of you know or have heard of. Master Auror Moody has agreed to teach for the beginning of the year and will be monitoring a special event this year which I will discuss in a moment." There was some scattered applause.

"Since Professor Moody will be fairly busy most of the year, it was decided we would get a second teacher to assist him. We would like you to join us in welcoming Professor Hayashi, who has graciously taken a year off from teaching at the Mahoutokoro School of Magic in Japan to assist us with our studies here." Akira nodded, and a hesitant round of applause followed his introduction.

"Now, I'm sure that there have been some rumors about what this special competition will be." Dumbledore pauses for a second, and then whipped his wand at an empty space between the teacher's dais and the tables. The lights dimmed, and then the torches on the wall exploded in colors. All of the students gasped in surprise, but Harry's focus was on the two objects that now appeared on the table Dumbledore had conjured.

One was a silver cup, gleaming in the torchlight. The second was a cup of some type as well, but much older. It looked like it was made out of an old metal, but that was not what attracted his eyes. It was the small blue flame above the cup. As Harry focused his eyes on the cup, he noticed that even though Dumbledore's wand was gone from his hand, the fire still danced over the older object. Harry had thought he knew what the event was going to be, but clearly he had been mistaken. There a lot more going on than a ball.

"The goblet of fire shall determine the champions" Dumbledore said, and the noise in the hall rose to a fever pitch. "The champions shall compete for the tri-wizard cup!" Now the noise was deafening, but Dumbledore raised his hand and the noise quieted. "Soon, our school will welcome delegations from two other schools who will bring their top students to compete in the tournament."

"Wicked!" Ron said, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"One champion will be chosen from every school," Dumbledore said, but Harry was no longer paying attention. Hayashi-Sensei and Remus had guessed right, and Daphne had been straight with him. Harry had told them it was impossible and that Dumbledore was not mad enough to be party to this, but apparently the skepticism of the elders won out this time. Dumbledore had brought back a deadly and dangerous tournament, and he wanted no part of it. The headmaster was saying something about how to enter the tournament and an age line, but Harry was more concerned with the look on Hermione's face.

"You look sick, Hermione," Harry said, grabbing her hand. "Are you ok?"

"Harry, people have died in the tournament. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History. They used to hold it every three years, but it was eventually discontinued due to the abnormally high death count." Harry couldn't stop the unease he felt from Hermione's statement from creeping on to his face. Both he and his best friend were quiet for the rest of dinner. Eventually the hall began to empty, but Harry held Ron, Hermione, and Neville back. Soon they were the only students left, and all three of them began to ask Harry what was going on.

"All your closest friends are in your house, I see," Akira said, causing all three students to jump as he cast aside his disillusionment charm which had hidden him as the hall had emptied.

"Just the ones I know can keep a secret," Harry responded, getting up from the table and giving Akira a big hug. All three of his fellow Gryffindors were looking at Akira and Harry with different emotions. Ron was confused, Hermione was interested, and Neville had a small look of recognition on his face, having just put the information he had gotten over the summer and at the beginning of the year together with the man standing next to Harry.

"An impressive collection of students." Akira looked all three over. "Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom?" They nodded. "I've heard wonderful things about all of you. Ron, Harry has said you have been a great mate and the person who makes the drudgery of school fun. Hermione, I believe you have the distinction of being the smartest witch in the school. Last but certainly not least we come to Neville. I've heard you are the personification of bravery."

"You are making them embarrassed," Harry said, smacking Akira on the shoulder. All three student's eyes widened as Harry had just hit a teacher, but Akira just smiled and pulled Harry into the seat next to Hermione and sat down next to him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all in person. My name is Akira, but I guess in school I am here to teach, so Professor Hayashi will have to do. I'm sure you are all curious about Harry's summer. There are quite a few things Harry cannot tell you…" Akira said, as a grin grew on his face. "Luckily, none of the same restrictions apply to me. My father took Harry in this summer at the request of the man you all know as Professor Lupin, and I helped Harry with his studies over the summer."

"Two professors to help you?" Hermione said, envy clear on her face.

"Well, Harry did not have a lot of free time this summer," Akira explained. "Given his other obligations, myself, my father, and Remus were forced to assist to make sure Harry got to an acceptable level of skill to learn this summer. But Harry's focus this summer was not magical." Akira stood, and beckoned to Harry. They stood across from him, and Akira mouthed "second kata" to Harry.

Harry nodded, and sprang into action his fists coming together over his head as he faced Akira. He punched with his right, which Akira parried. He then spun in the other direction as Akira rotated around him to remain in front and threw a punch with his left which Akira parried as well. He turned 90 degrees and kicked out at Akira, who this time caught the kick. The kata was far from done, but Harry knew what was coming and as Akira twisted his leg Harry jumped in the air, rotating his body to keep Akira from throwing him off balance.

Normally, with a display like this done for show, Harry would have completed the rotation in the air and landed easily, as Akira released his leg allowing him to land unhindered. But day after day of repetitive drilling had been ingrained in Harry's mind, and as he rotated he swung his left foot around in a reverse roundhouse, which Akira was barely able to duck under. Still reacting to his training, the moment Harry's right foot hit the ground he pivoted again, this time his left foot sweeping out just above the ground to knock Akira's feet from under him.

Luckily, Harry felt a foot pressing down on his left, and a fist inches from his face, a brilliant stomp and counter from Akira which would have floored Harry if they had been sparing. Akira smiled as he hopped off Harry's foot and lifted the young wizard from the ground. Harry's smile was forced, angry at being taken down so easily.

"That was martial arts," Hermione said, her eyes a little wide. "Harry, that's what you learned over the summer? You learned martial arts?"

"Among other things," Harry said as he sat down next to Hermione again. "I'm still a student, I have a lot to learn. Akira is close to mastery."

"I'm good," Akira replied modestly. "My father and his friend, who taught Harry, me, and some other students are masters. They don't even need their wands to win most fights."

"So Harry spend the summer at a wizard fight school?" Ron said, and Harry picked up some anger in Ron's voice. He glanced at his friend curiously, but Ron's face was impassive.

"Hardly," Akira replied. "My father and I are wizards, as is one other student who trains with us over the summer. But there are usually between 15 and 30 students on the premise during the week, and almost all are normal people. So the only magic combat training we do is over the weekend. Harry wasn't allowed to use his wand until the August."

"Wouldn't it make sense to learn how to fight and how to use your wand at the same time?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Ms. Granger, if you wanted to master a spell, what is the best way to do it?" Akira asked.

"Well, I'd study it and practice it until I mastered it," Hermione said.

"And you would focus on that spell at the exclusion of other spells?" Hermione spluttered. "Of course you would. If we let Harry have his wand, he would not have focused on learning to fight, and then there would be no point. Eventually we had to incorporate fighting while holding and using a wand, because Harry is a wizard. But even with his wand, most normal students would defeat him."

"No way." Neville sounded dismissive. "I mean, all the punching and spinning is cool, but you can't beat magic with martial arts."

"Oh, is that so?" Akira winked at Harry, and waved Neville up. "Mr. Longbottom, I assume you mean to tell me you could beat me?" Neville shook his head vigorously. "Not very courageous behavior."

"I just don't want to get punched." Akira seemed to look away in disappointment, and then in a blur of speed that Harry couldn't follow, even though he was expecting it, Akira was inches away from Neville. His movement was effortless and smooth, vaulting the table and spinning around Ron to put his face right against Neville, and in a real fight it would have been devastating. "Woah."

"Learning both isn't that bad," Akira said, patting Neville on the back. "Besides, if you train constantly, even if you are not a great fighter, being in better shape will bleed over to all aspects of your life. You will sleep better, study more effectively, and improve your magic faster."

"By training do you mean getting up in the morning like Harry did today?" Ron asked. Akira nodded. "Include me out. Nice to meet you, but I've got some chess to play."

"I've never heard that before," Akira said as Ron left the hall. "Include me out? Is that a British idiom? I know I still don't know them all."

"No that was pure Ron," Hermione said. "Include me out? What rubbish." Then she looked at Akira and Harry. "However, I do concur with his sentiment. I think that being a powerful witch is probably better than trying to learn martial arts as well."

"Ms. Granger, I am not trying to convince you to train with me and Harry in the morning." Harry groaned, realizing that Akira would indeed train with him every morning. There would be no off days while training with his brother. "I've been learning to fight with my hands since I was 7, and Harry was lucky enough to get a heavy intensive course this summer as virtue of a glowing recommendation from a close friend of my father. But some physical activity never hurt anyone."

"Um, I have a question. Can I train with you guys?" All three heads turned to look at Neville. "Not the martial arts stuff, I think that I would be rubbish at that. But the stuff to be healthier and stronger. I need help with my grades or my gran will kill me. Do you really think if I train with you guys, I will get smarter?"

"I guarantee it, but I advise you to join Harry for his nightly workouts before you train with us in the morning. We don't ever sleep in, and we will be at extremely high intensity to make up for the limited time," Akira explained. "You simply won't be able to keep up. But if you train with Harry at night for at least 2 weeks and he thinks you are up to it you are welcome to join us in the morning."

"You guys are always welcome to come and watch in the morning, when we will be sparring," Harry explained. "That's why I invited you guys, because I can trust you not to blab."

"Of course," Hermione said, nodding to Harry. "I'll keep your secret." Neville echoed the sentiment, and Harry gave one of his rare, no-holds-barred smiles.

"It was nice to meet you, but I'd like a moment with my adopted brother alone, if you don't mind. I'll see you in class." Hermione and Neville left the hall, and Akira hopped over the table to sit next to Harry. "How did the other classes today go? You had potions and transfiguration, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Everything went great! You saw me break the imperious curse on my own and with my spell, and I totally flummoxed Snape. Like your dad suggested, I implanted the picture of Remus as a werewolf in his mind. And transfiguration was great! I was the only person who was able to even get close."

"Harry," Akira said, standing up with a look Harry didn't recognize. "You are definitely more powerful."

"I know," Harry said, his eyes shining. "I think this year is really going to be different. Like I can match up with anyone"

"I think so too," Akira said, and helped Harry up. "Let's see how you are doing."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as Akira walked away from him. Akira turned and bowed. "A duel? Really?" Harry smirked as Akira nodded. "If you insist." Harry bowed, and whipped his wand out. He threw two stunners across the room, but Akira flicked them both away with his wand. Harry followed up with a cutting hex and a stringing hex, but Akira met both of those as easily as the first two.

"Incendio!" Harry yelled, trying something different as flame shot from the end of his wand. Akira stood as the flames rushed at him, and then seemed to breath gently and the flames died out. Harry shot spell after spell at Akira, but nothing so much as irritated the professor.

"My turn now?" Akira asked, as Harry paused for breath. Without waiting for a response, he fired a stunner that tore through Harry's quickly erected shield.

"Ok, time to wake up," Harry heard as a torrent of water soaked his robes and he gasped for air. "Let's go again." Harry rose to his feet anger coursing through his veins. He brushed himself off and gave a quick bow. Akira inclined his head, and Harry's temper rose at the perceived lack of respect.

"Stupify!" Akira blocked the stunner, and but this time Harry's 'brother' was instantly on the attack, but Harry's shield was able to stop the stunner. But the second stunner cracked the shield, the third broke it and Harry stumbled back from a stinging hex. Akira wiggled his eyebrows at Harry, and the boy-who-lived lost it. He screamed two cutting hexes and managed to dodge the return fire. "Protego" Harry yelled as a stunner rushed towards him, and he saw, almost in slow motion, the stunner swerve around his shield and impact his side.

"Harry," Akira said, shaking him awake. Harry rose groggily, reaching for his wand. His vision focused, and he saw Akira holding his wand. "Take a breath." Harry shoved Akira away, furious at the man he considered a brother. Akira had embarrassed him, humiliated him, and he would not take this lying down. He grabbed for his wand, but Akira held onto the wand, making sure that Harry didn't grab the wood.

"Give it back!"

"HARRY!" Harry stumbled back from the volume and intensity of his professor's voice. "Take. A. Breath." Harry was panting, and Akira forced him to sit. "Find the lake." Harry was used to hearing that command and obeying, and he did, allowing his mind to clear, replaced by the blackness and the lake, allowing a drop to fall into the lake and seeing the ripples on the normally calm surface of the lake.

"I'm ok," Harry said as he tried to catch his breath.

"Again," Akira said, and Harry closed his eyes and allowed a few more drops to fall into the lake. After a few deep breaths Harry felt the anger drain away and he nodded at Akira. "Ok?"

"Not really," Harry said, standing and glaring at Akira. "So much for feeling like I can take on anyone. You didn't even bother trying?"

"Well, I would be a poor teacher if I let a 4th year student who wasn't in control of his emotions defeat me!" Akira's joke didn't make Harry feel better. "Harry, your first day went better than I expected. I'm not surprised that you felt empowered, but I was prepared for this. You are still a 4th year student! You need to grow your magical core and learn non-verbal casting. As you grow, that will be easier for you."

"Harry, you know that before our first duel, you sounded an awful lot like someone you say you are nothing like." Harry was confused by that statement. "You said you can match up with anyone." Harry nodded. "That sounds like something Draco Malfoy might say." Harry felt shame rush over his face as he realized Akira was right.

"Yeah, I know." He hung his head. "I won't get ahead of myself again."

"No, you won't," Akira agreed. "But Harry, you seemed to forget the three key lessons that dad and Nambung Sa Bum taught you."

"What do you mean?"

"1." Akira raised his index finger. "Always, always, keep your cool. Keep your mind strong. That's how you threw Snape and Moody. You let me get under your skin." Harry nodded in agreement. "2. Use your head. Mix up your spells, and think through your actions. You just attacked without a plan."

"You are right," Harry agreed. "The summer was more about thinking through a fight than an actual fight."

"Well, my role as a teacher is to make sure you learn the spells necessary to win fights," Akira said. "But I'm here as a teacher for every other student. I'm here as your brother-in-arms. So what's the third thing they taught you?" Harry was lost. Akira mimed a punch. "they taught you how to fight without spells, didn't they? 3: You let me dictate the duel. Your best move was to move in close and try and fight it out."

"But that wouldn't work against you!" Harry complained.

"Of course," Akira said. "But would it work against a 7th year at Hogwarts?" Harry realized that point Akira was making. "Use your strengths, keep your head, and you will go far this year. Try and match up magically with older students who have already passed their O.W.L.s, and that won't go well."

"Ok." Harry said, and turned to leave. "Thank you, brother."

"Not done yet," Akira said, and Harry groaned. He turned and saw Akira conjure a big block of wood. "Do you remember?"


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Harry, put in his place. This will be in and out of flashback, but I'll make it clear. As a note, unless otherwise noted, it will be assumed that everything will be from Harry's POV for the moment, at least for a few chapters. I think that will change, but for the moment I want to really dig into our protagonist before his "group" becomes big and we need to move freely between minds.**

Chapter 11: Breaking Wood

September, 1994

"Regretfully, I remember every scar," Harry said.

"What are you good at?" Akira said.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

June, 1994

"Harry said his reason for fighting was to protect," Takashi Hayashi told his son. "To protect people who can't protect themselves, and the people he cares about. That's a good enough reason for me. He can work on real motivation later" Akira nodded. "He'll go through forms with every other student."

"Good to hear," Akira said. "He seems like a good kid."

"At night, I'll have him work on the wood block." Akira nodded. "I know you feel for him. Under no circumstances can you help him. This is something he had to clear by himself." Akira saw the intensity in his father's eyes.

"Ok," Akira said, but Takashi could see his son didn't like his directive.

"So he'll have his own room until then," Hayashi Sensei said. Akria nodded, and walked back to his room. Takashi stared at the waning moon for a few minutes, remembering moments from his past, moments that Harry would have to go work through.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

"Welcome to the Hayashi school," Hayashi Sensei said. Harry was in the middle of a row of 5 muggles. 3 were girls, 2 were boys, and they all looked to be his age, if not a little older. "I am your sensei. For the first month, you will focus on the basics of my style of karate. In the morning, you will do forms. In the afternoon, you will do training. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sensei!" Harry had been drilled on the correct form of response by Akira yesterday, and bowed to Hayashi Sensei.

"Good. First, you learn how to take a proper fighting stance." Hayashi Sensei put his feet right next to each other and the students copied. He then slid his right foot back, put his left hand next to his face, and turned his right foot 90 degrees. Again the students copied him. "There are three main fighting stances. The first," Hayashi Sensei said as he brought his right hand up to cover the other cheek, "is the boxer stance. This stance is when you are fighting defensively. The most important thing in a fight is to make sure you are not hit. If your opponent cannot hit you, then you will never lose a fight. So this is the only stance you will use this week." Harry smiled a bit. This didn't seem like it would be too bad.

4 hours later, Harry remembered that smile, and cursed to himself. How could learning one stance be so hard? First, they had held the stance, and then Hayashi Sensei would tell them to drop it. For the next two hours, he would simply say up or down, and the stance would go up or down. His legs were trembling by the end of the first hour, and by the second hour he couldn't raise his arms. After that, they had to move while in the stance, and even if his back was to you, their sensei seemed to know if the hands dropped, and a slight smirk would follow.

Lunch was fairly basic, chicken and rice. But Harry ate more than he could ever remember, and still felt hungry as they went to training in the afternoon. This was the first cruel surprise that Hayashi Sensei sprung on them.

"I believe that you are all hear to become strong, and I have other students here. So I will give you the training schedule, and it will be up to you to complete it." All the students nodded. "But first I will show you how to do the exercises." He dropped to the ground, his arms extended, and lowered himself to the ground slowly, his chest touched the grass, and then he slowly raised himself up. "That is one push-up. It should take you at least 5 seconds and your chest should very briefly touch the ground."

Next it was over to the line of bars at different heights Harry had not noticed before. Hayashi grabbed the tallest bar and levered himself up until his arm's were fully extended above the bar, and then dropped. "That is a pull-up. Arm's fully extended." Then he took an underhanded grip and lifted his chest above the bar. "Underhanded pull-up. Chest above the bar."

He continued, and it seemed like all the exercises were to be done in a way that made it as hard as possible. Their sensei then assigned each student 100 of each exercise, giving them 2 hours to do it. Then he sprung the second really cruel surprise. "Some teachers strike their students when they mess up. I don't, but I remember. Today, you will all do one extra push-up for every time you dropped your stance earlier. So Harry, you will do 115 push-ups." Harry nodded, realizing that was fair. "Tomorrow, it will be 2 extra push-ups for every mistake. Wednesday it will be 3"

Harry did manage to complete all he exercises in 2 hours, even if his vision was blurry and he felt worse than he ever had before. Then an assistant instructor came over to begin their "conditioning." The first exercise was called back-end run. They ran around the garden in a line, and when the instructor clapped his hands, the person at the end of the line sprinted to the front. Mercifully, they were given a break after 20 minutes. Cruelly, after that break the same practice resumed. The next exercise was the worst of them all.

During the back-end run, the assistant instructor had placed cones all over the garden. They had numbers on them. He would give them a number, and they would run to the cone. The next time a number was called, that was the number they ran to. Finally, the last hour they brought the cones together and put ropes between them, creating what looked like a ladder on the ground. They would step in and out, jump in and out, and race through the ladder, making sure to avoid getting their foot caught on the ladder to avoid smashing into the ground. Even then, Harry's glasses slipped from his eyes a few times. After they fell the first time, the assistant instructor gave him a small band that he tied around the end of his glasses that kept them in place even when he fell.

After a similar dinner which had a little more variety in the food offered, the rest of the students returned home. Only Harry, Akira, Hayashi-Sensei and a girl named Marina who said she was from Slovenia remained. Hayashi-Sensei gave Harry 5 minutes to watch the two senior students duel. Harry didn't even recognize most of the spells, and was amazed at how the student students blended karate and magic so seamlessly.

"You can get there one day too, you know," Hayashi-Sensei said, sitting next to Harry.

"Maybe," Harry said, more to be polite than anything else. He knew he would never approach that level of beautiful and effortless fighting, magical or otherwise.

"Harry, I started training when I was 7. Akira lived in England until he started school at 10, and he started when he was 7 too. He is 19 now. I'm not surprised that given the fact that you have three years of sub-par schooling and 1 day of training here that you do not move like him. Even Marina has spent 4 years with me. It will come, but not today."

"Yes Sensei," Harry said, his tone bristling a bit. Hogwarts had issues, but he did not like that Hayashi Sensei would disparage his school.

"Unfortunately, your training is not done for the day." Harry's mind screamed out in fear. "Relax, no more running." His sensei led him back to the indoor training space. He then tossed a piece of wood up in the air and magically suspended it. "Break it." Harry reached for the pocket that his wand was in, but his Sensei grabbed his hand. "With your hand."

"What?"

"Take your stance." Harry did, and he watched as the older man pantomimed a slow punch, showing how his hips rotated, and his hand turned to hit the wood with the knuckles, snapping the wood in half. Harry tried to copy him, but the wood did not break and he was left nursing his knuckles. "Work on it every night. Come to me when you break the wood." Harry spent the rest of the night practicing the form, not wanting to hurt his knuckles any more.

The rest of the week followed the same pattern. The morning they would work on that same stance. Holding it and moving while the stance was up. On Friday, Harry only dropped the stance twice and had only 10 additional push-ups, his lowest total. Then after training in the afternoon, Harry felt like he had a tiny bit of energy left, and did not fall at all during ladder drills. But his nights remained frustrating, as he had not been able to break the wood.

He spent most of the night practicing the perfect form of the punch. When he hit the wood and it did not break his hand really smarted, so he only tried with his first and last punch. He hated that block of wood, and if Hayashi-Sensei had not told him the third day that the wood was normal, Harry would have sworn the wood was enchanted not to break.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

September, 1994

"Never stopping," Harry said, staring Akira in the eye. "Winning at all costs."

"Why do you fight?" Akira said, holding the block of wood up and away from his face.

"To protect what is important to me," Harry said, taking the boxer stance."

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

June, 1994

"What are you doing?" Harry jumped back in surprise. There was a man standing by the opening into the courtyard. He had never seen the man before, so he went for his pocket, but as soon as his wand was drawn it went skittering across the floor. The man had not moved or said anything, but Harry had been disarmed. "Relax. I'm here at Takashi's invitation." Harry inched towards the wand, terribly nervous.

"Nambung!" Hayashi-Sensei called out, and the man turned and shook the instructor's hand. "Don't scare my new students!"

"Breaking wood?" The newly named Nambung said. "I thought you said you had a promising student who I would help this summer?"

"Yes," Hayashi said. "Harry is one of three, though he is the only wizard of the bunch."

"He's not even punching through the wood. Ugh." The new man walked over to Harry. "You can call me Sa Bum. It's the Korean equivalent of Sensei, and while Takashi is Japanese, I'm Korean. Got it?" Harry nodded, cowed by the intensity of the new man. "Stop hitting the wood. You are punching the wood. Stop it. Punch through the wood."

"I can't," Harry explained. "I'm not strong enough."

"A child is strong enough," Sa Bum said. "Punch through it. Not at the wood. THROUGH!" He looked at Harry and nodded. Harry took a deep breath and took his stance as he stepped towards the wood, and punched through the wood. Then his hand connected with the solid substance and instead of stopping his punch, Harry followed through and the wood splintered. He jumped in excited as the wood clattered to the floor in pieces.

"I did it!" He turned to the two older men, but saw that Sa Bum had conjured a second piece of wood, twice as large and thick.

"Why do you fight, Harry?" Sa Bum asked.

"To protect my friends," Harry said, taking a stance.

"Who is your best friend?" Sa Bum asked.

"Ron… No. Hermione," Harry said, confidently saying the name of the bushy-haired girl. "Hermione is my best friend."

"This block of wood is threatening her. If you don't break it, Hermione is going to die." Sa Bum stared at Harry, an intensity in his gaze that lit a fire Harry didn't know he had. "Break it!" And Harry did, his hand flying through the wood, this time sending splintered all over the room.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

September, 1994

Harry punched through the big block of wood, shattering it into an uncountable amount of pieces. He instantly drew his hand back to his face, protecting against a possible counter attack.

"Right high kick!" Akira called, and Harry responded, snapping the wood Akira had tossed with his right leg. "Back kick!" Again Harry kicked, and again a shattered piece of wood feel to the ground. "Backhand. Left push kick! Left punch! Left jab!" Akira must have called out 30 commands and each time Harry met the block of wood with a body part and shattered it.

"Why do you fight?" Akira yelled.

"To protect my friends!" Harry cried out.

"Right straight!" Harry stepped into the punch with his whole body, and his fist smashed through the wooden shield Akira had conjured and hit Akria square in the face, pushing him back.

"Akira!" Harry rushed forward as his teacher fell to the floor.

"Good punch Harry!" Akira rose to his feet and patted the younger boy on the back. "Do you feel better now?" Harry took a deep breath, and realized that he had totally forgotten his earlier sour mood.

"Thank you, brother." Harry shook his head. "I needed that."

"You did," Akira said. "So I'll see you tomorrow at 6:30, front door of the castle?"

"Yes," Harry said. "Of course… Sensei." Akira had told Harry he hated being called Sensei in private, but the older boy just smiled at him and responded with a gesture Harry hated, ruffling his hair.

"Get some sleep, Harry. Tomorrow training begins for real. No sleeping in class, so get it tonight."

"Not even history of magic?" Harry asked.

"Tell you what," Akira said with a smile as he walked with Harry out of the hall. "If your best friend sleeps, so can you."

"I hate you," Harry said under his breath.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Time to pick up the pace. The last chapter was a little short. This one won't be. Covering a lot of ground. For the most part, my chapters will be closer to 5000 words than 3000 words in the future.**

Chapter 12: Time Flies

September, 1994

Harry noticed that this school year was different fairly quickly. He didn't know if it was because he just perceived the passage of time differently, seeing the value in every study session, every paper, and every assignment. He didn't know if it was because for one hour every day before the rest of the castle was up Akira would dump him on his backside at least 30 times and that he had added close to 20 pounds in muscle since the end of last year. He didn't know if it was because he used the strength and logic of his mind that all of his instructors had drilled into him over the summer.

Harry knew Professor Hayashi, as he was known to all the other students, was keeping an eye on Harry's confidence, making sure he did not go into a negative spiral while keeping a teenage ego in check. After being summarily beaten down every morning, Harry did not worry all that much about his ego. Every now and then Akira would allow them to use wands and they dueled instead of sparring. Harry usually lost quicker then. But any time he got praised in class, he would relay that to Akira, who would make sure to bring Harry down a peg in the morning. Harry used his daily workouts at night to work through some of his frustration.

Near the end of September, after another humbling in the morning, Harry was at breakfast with Dean, talking about an assignment due in transfiguration. Professor McGonagall had asked them to write one roll of parchment on the theory behind transfiguring an animal into a single other entity. After the collective failure of the class to make much progress on the guinea pig to pin cushion with pins in it, the Gryffindor head of house allowed the students to change the small rodent into any other singular object, with special credit to anyone who made it into a pin cushion. Harry had written his roll on turning the animal into a rock and would endeavor to do that in class. Dean had gone in a different direction, trying to make his animal into a feather, and the two debated which was better.

"A rock is a simple object," Harry contended. "All in one piece. A feather is much more complex with all the different edges it has."

"A rock is heavier and denser," Dean replied. "The in-between step is to turn the animal into something in between. The feather is easier to conjure, so it should be easier to transfigure as well. Besides, feathers come from animals, so that will be easier too."

"Feathers come from birds," Harry said with a laugh. "A guinea pig is not a bird."

"Well, we will see today who is right," Dean said, and Harry nodded in agreement. He was confident in his solution, but he had not had much success since the first day of class. Occasionally he tapped into that power he had felt the first day, but it was hard to find the exact frame of mind to perform magic better than he usually did. "Sucks we have to go through potions first. But Snape doesn't pick on you as much.

"True," Harry replied to Dean. After his first class with Daphne, Harry was surprised to be asked by Daphne to pair up with him for a while longer. A week later, she had walked right past him and sat with Tracey Davis with no explanation. Dean had slid into the seat next to Harry and the two Gryffindors had built a connection around middling success in potions. "It's still far from my favorite subject.

"It's not mine either," Dean agreed. "But at least you don't have to feel all slimy and controlled with Moody. After a long discussion with Akira at the end of his first week of classes, the Japanese professor had allowed Harry to break out of Moody's Imperious curse the second week, and soon after had advised Harry that he was best served breaking the curse on others as well and that he should not hold back. Harry had been happy to comply and was the most sought after partner on Mondays when Moody's practical instruction involved cursing students.

Harry had been mildly surprised by how popular Akira was when he taught on Wednesday and Thursday. His lessons were engaging, and he progressed from stinging hexes to stunners in a logical and sensible way. Harry had read ahead and soon they would be working on cutting hexes, which normally wouldn't be taught in 4th year, but all of the 4th years had blossomed under the dual instruction of the Master Auror and the visiting Professor.

"Harry, how do you manage to break out of the curse so easily?" Susan asked him later that day after defense "Don't worry, I won't tell people about how you broke it in the first class." After the first class where Susan had hidden the fact that Harry had managed to get her out from under the imperious curse, she had been unable to do it on her own. If Moody realized, he didn't say anything. None of the classmates had put the two together.

"Well, the imperious is just a suggestion," Harry told her. "You need something in your mind that counters or negates that suggestion to do what the spell caster is saying."

"That's not what Moody says," Susan replied. "He just says constant vigilance, and then tells you to try harder."

"I think he's mad," Ron added. "I'm worried that he will end up hurting me before I ever learn how to break out."

"Well, he will only be our instructor for a little over a month," Hannah added. "You can always talk to Professor Hayashi about it." She blushed a little. "I always try and talk to him."

"He is so cute," Lavender added as they walked to lunch. Hannah nodded in agreement and Harry chuckled. That had become a common talking point among the little group they had assembled. Ron, Neville, Dean, Lavender, and Hermione seemed to spend a lot of time around each other and him this year. Whenever they had classes or homework to do together, Susan and Hannah, and occasionally one or two of the Ravenclaws in their year joined their impromptu friend and often study group

Although Daphne did not associate with them too much out of class unless she did Runes homework with him and Hermione, Harry included her in the group in his mind even if Daphne would die of embarrassment if she knew that Harry did so. She continued to meet with him 1 on 1 once a week to go over what it was to be a Lord. It wasn't until the end of the first month of school that he learned what Daphne really wanted in return beyond a potential date to the ball.

"Thanks for the help today," Harry said after an in-depth discussion of investing with the Goblins at Gringotts. "Sounds like there is a lot more to wealth management than I thought."

"What's the Patronus charm like?" Daphne blurted as Harry swung his bag over his shoulder.

"Sorry?" Harry asked, unsure if he had heard her correctly.

"What does it feel like to cast it?" Daphne asked again.

"What do you mean?" Harry was confused why Daphne was asking him about it.

"Don't joke with me Harry," Daphne said. She only called him Harry during their Friday sessions, which Harry now found endearing rather than annoying. "We all saw you cast it last year against the three idiots during the quidditch match." Harry nodded sadly. Dumbledore's announcement that the tri-wizard cup would mean that there would be no quidditch that year had broken his heart and severely cut back against the excitement of the cup. Ron could not go more than a day without mentioning how awesome the cup was, which immediately followed by a complaint about the lack of quidditch. Harry missed his friend Oliver Wood, and he knew the keeper was likely to try and hex Dumbledore after that announcement.

"Well, the way Remus explained it to me was that you need a positive memory to draw on to summon the Patronus. I think he is mostly right, so when you cast the charm there is a partial sense of euphoria, for a second. If you can't get that feeling, it can be hard to cast it. Then once you have that feeling it's almost like the emotion is pouring out of your wand, and that creates the white mist?"

"White mist?" Harry nodded. "But your Patronus looked like an animal."

"That is the third step. Step 1," Harry said, raising a finger, "find a strong positive happy memory. Step 2," Harry raised another finger "use that memory to produce a mist. Step 3 is to find the form that comes naturally with the charm and put the mist into that charm."

"What shape is your Patronus?" Daphne asked

"That's a bit of a personal question," Harry told her.

"We are friends, aren't we Harry?" Daphne stressed the use of the first name. Harry paused near the door.

"That's true." He sighed, and took a deep breath. "My Patronus is called Prongs. My dad was an animagus, and he turned into a stag. My Patronus is what he looked liked when he transformed."

"One more question."

"Only one?"

"Who is Remus?" Daphne asked. "I thought Professor Lupin who was the one who taught you the charm after the fiasco with the Dementors last year."

"Sorry, Remus and I are friends," Harry told her. "I spent a bunch of time with Professor Lupin over the summer. His first name is Remus. He was friends with my father and godfather."

"You have a godfather?" Daphne looked puzzled at that announcement.

"And a godmother," Harry told her.

"Harry!" Daphne raced to him and grabbed his arm. "How could you not tell me that?" Harry had never seen so much raw emotion on his friend's face.

"Sorry," Harry said, extracting his arm from her vice-like grip. "I didn't see it as important. Does that affect anything about my being a lord?"

"Of course it does!" Daphne's eyes looked panicked. "Your godfather should be your magical guardian as well. Didn't you say you don't know who your magical guardian is?"

"Well, that might be a problem," Harry said. "My godfather can't really be my magical guardian."

"Is he dead? Even if he is, then your godmother would be your magical guardian. They might be why you became Lord Potter."

"I highly doubt it," Harry told his only Slytherin friend. "Neither of them are in a position to engage with the Ministry of Magic."

"Why not?" Daphne said. Then she threw her hands over her mouth. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I assumed since you used present tense…" Harry looked at Daphne with an eyebrow raised. She didn't elaborate, issuing another apology he could barely hear through her hands which stayed over her mouth.

"Daphne, I have no idea what you are talking about," Harry admitted.

"You mean that your godparents are alive?"

"Both of them are alive," Harry told her. "Sorry if I gave the wrong impression."

"So they can't go to the ministry because they…" Daphne stalled, clearly lacking a reason that two magical people wouldn't be able to go to the center of magical Britain.

"I didn't say they couldn't go," Harry corrected her. "I said they can't engage with the Ministry. And before you ask the question that is coming, it is not my story to tell."

"Harry, I'm trying to help you," Daphne complained. "If you don't tell me what is going on, my ability to help you is virtually non-existent."

"I appreciate it, really I do." Harry sighed reluctantly. "Listen, I can't give you specifics, but I can tell you that one of my godparents is really sick. The other one has been…" Harry searched his mind for the best way to phrase it "out of the country since I was born, and I know he hasn't spoken to the Ministry. He is at odds with their politics."

"You should reach out and ask if he talked to them anyways."

"I will," Harry told her. "Thanks for the advice." He swung the door closed behind him, seeing that Daphne needed a few moments to think.

Near the end of the month, Harry got an owl he had been looking forward to immensely, and as Hedwig dived down to land on Harry's shoulder, Harry looked at his snowy-white owl and recognized the cursive spelling of his name on the envelope as he looked away from dinner.

"Is Hedwig picking up someone else's letters?" Hermione asked.

"No, I asked her to wait for a response," Harry told her. "It was a long flight, so I wanted her to get a rest as well."

"Where did she fly to?" Ron asked?

"Romania," Harry replied.

"Romania?" Lavender sounded incredulous. "Why would she fly to a backwater like that?"

"Hey!" Ron responded. "My brother works in Romania." Harry could barely hear him through the food in his mouth. "Charlie?"

"Charlie." Harry answered. "While we have a long time until we have to think about careers, everything I have heard from him about his job makes me more interested."

"Who is Charlie?" Seamus asked. "Oh, do you mean Charlie Weasley?"

"How do you know my brother?" Ron asked.

"Everyone knows your brother," Neville added.

"He was the seeker before Harry," Dean told Ron. "Of course we know Charlie. Not personally, but we know of him. Can't say I know what he is doing after graduation though. What is he up to Harry? Romania is a bit out of the way."

"It's true there is not a lot there," Harry said. Everyone leaned in around him as he paused for dramatic effect. "Well, they do have one pretty cool thing." Hermione's eyes widened, and Harry had to stop laughing as Hermione realized what he was talking about before Ron, who looked as curious as the rest of his housemates. "Dragon Sanctuaries."

"Ron, you have a brother who is a dragon tamer?" Parvati asked, clearly shocked. "I mean, he was a seeker, but that's crazy."

"They actually really don't like the term dragon tamer," Harry corrected. "Only crazy people try and tame dragons. They are wild animals for a reason. He is a dragon handler. They try and keep dragons healthy and study them from a preservation and academic viewpoint. Charlie's mentor is the foremost expert on dragon mating in the world. His current project on dragon mating sounded interesting, so I hope that this letter answers my questions. If you don't mind?" He asked his classmates who all shook their head. Harry tore the letter open and there was silence as Harry read the letter.

"Well?" Ron asked as Harry slipped the letter into his robes.

"Well what?" Harry asked as he picked up his fork.

"What did Charlie say?"

"He said he sends his love to you, Ginny, and the twins of course," Harry said, a little annoyed that Ron was keeping him from dinner.

"I think he means what did he say about dragons?" Hermione asked.

"He answered most of my questions, and he said he could answer the rest of them pretty soon." Harry reached for his fork but was stopped by Dean.

"What sort of questions?" Dean asked.

"Charlie and I have been talking for a few months, so it would take a few hours to catch you up," Harry told Dean. "Suffice to say, dragon mating rituals are quite different to humans."

"That's not much of a surprise," Ron said, a crumb spewing out of his mouth.

"Oh really?" Hermione said. Harry looked at her curiously. He shouldn't be surprised that his best friend would know about dragons. "I'd say that dragons probably don't pay too much attention to talking with their mouth full either, so maybe you mate like them too." Harry coughed up some of his pumpkin juice and the rest of his housemates laughed as well.

"Hey!" Ron said indignantly.

"Eat like a dragon, mate like a dragon." Hermione responded.

"Hermione that's not fair." Harry told her.

"Thank you," Ron said.

"Dragons have wonderful table manners. They must be much nicer to their mates than Ron." Ron rose angrily and stormed out of the hall. Harry sighed at got to his feet. "I'll talk to him." He caught up with Ron right before the Fat Lady. "Mate, we are just teasing. What's wrong? You've never responded like that before."

"It's nothing," Ron said, giving the password and entering the common room. Harry walked in behind him.

"Ron, what's going on?"

"How about you go talk about dragons with your best friend?" Ron snapped at Harry. He was flushed red and his body language was definitively hostile.

"Ron!" Harry was shocked at the tone in his friend's voice.

"Hermione is your best friend?" Ron said angrily. "At first I thought you were just saying that for her parents' sake. I thought we were best friends."

"That's what this is about?" Harry asked.

"Best friends don't just change," Ron said. "Am I your best friend, or is Hermione?"

"You know that both of you are important to me," Harry said, wanting to avoid lying, knowing that his two most important friendships hung in the balance.

"Me or Hermione, Harry?"

"Ron, don't make me choose between you two."

"I'm not making you choose. One of us is your best friend. Which one of us is it?"

Harry ground his teeth at Ron's stubbornness. He didn't need to answer to know the possible outcomes. He could tell Ron he was his best friend, and he would make sure it came up before it was even bedtime. Harry still remembered Hermione's reaction when he said she was his best friend at the train station, and although she would pretend to be ok, Harry knew it would crush her if Ron said he was Harry's best friend.

On the other hand, Ron's jealousy would mean that if he said Hermione, Ron might not talk to him for a while. Harry did not know what had caused Ron's jealousy to surge up. Ron could have talked to Harry about this at any time during the year, but for it to pop up unannounced confused Harry. But as much as he thought, there was only one answer. He tried one more time to stop Ron from forcing him.

"Ron, don't do this." Ron stayed still, his arms crossed, eyes boring into Harry. "You are my best mate," Harry said, leaving the unanswered question in the air. Ron stormed off towards the stairs to the boys' dorm, and Harry let him walk off, a stabbing pain in his heart as he sat on the couch. Time was moving forward, but Harry barely processed it as people entered the common room, some settling there and others going up to their dorm. Harry had homework due soon sitting in his bag in his room, and still had his nighttime exercises to do, but he couldn't make himself face Ron.

"Harry?" Hermione said as she sat down next to him. Harry knew that normally he might turn to look at her, but right now he didn't know what type of face he would show her and didn't want to hurt her. "Are you ok?" Harry knew he needed to try to talk to Ron again, if only because he knew Hermione saw him as an important friend, and that if Ron shut her out because of what Harry had said, it would hurt her too. He was used to occasionally loosing Ron. For her, fighting was the default setting with Ron, not stony silence.

"Yeah," Harry lied. "Let me go get my bag, and we can try and take a run at charms." He managed to force himself up the stair and into their dorm, and saw Ron playing Seamus at chess. "Ron," Harry said, but Ron turned away ignoring him.

"Ron, Harry is calling you," Seamus said.

"Well, if he had a problem maybe his best friend can help him out." Ron replied. All of their roommates looked at him. "Apparently I'm only his best mate."

"Ron, I wish you wouldn't be mad at me," Harry said, but stopped that line of attack once he saw Ron's stone-cold face grow angry at that statement. "Fine. But don't take it out on Hermione. You are still her friend, right? You know how important your friendship is to her."

"Because the little know-it-all doesn't have any others," Ron spat. "You wouldn't either if not for me. You are a really rotten friend, Harry. I'm your best friend, and you treat me like that."

"Hermione is my best friend, Ron," Harry said quietly, but loud enough for all of their roommates to hear him. Ron sneered at Harry and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

"That is messed up, Harry," Seamus said as he grabbed his bag. "You make me a little sick, treating your best friend like that." He left the dorm, and Dean grabbed his bag and headed towards the exit too.

"You too Dean?" Harry asked as Seamus disappeared down the stairs.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked. "Oh, about the Hermione being your best friend thing?" Harry nodded, hoping that Dean would not abandon him too. He had felt like they were becoming good friends this year. "Oh, I think you are wrong."

"Why?" Harry asked, at least trying to get an explanation from an impartial third party source.

"Well, I think that girlfriend and best friend should be different people." Dean said. Harry's jaw hit the floor. "Wait, you and Hermione aren't dating?"

"No way!" Harry jumped off the bed. "Do other people think that?"

"Some," Neville said. "I don't. I don't think that is why Ron or Seamus is mad either. But a lot of people think you two are an item."

"We aren't," Harry told Neville.

"Oh." Dean nodded slowly. "Yeah, I still don't really have a problem with what you said. If Ron has an issue with being your best mate, seems like that is an issue he has to work out."

"Then why are you following Seamus?" Neville asked.

"Oh, I just promised Parvatti I would work on the History of Magic essay with her." Dean shrugged his shoulders. "I figured my viewpoint on the matter was obvious, and that Ron and Seamus were just being asses. My bad. Next time I'll speak up. I'll try talking to Seamus too. Maybe he had the same misunderstanding that I do." He walked out the door, and Harry sat down heavily, trying to put together everything that Dean had said.

"Why isn't Hermione your girlfriend Harry?" Neville asked, sitting down next to him. "I'm sure she'd say yes if you asked her, and I think you two would be good together."

"Well Neville, I don't know a lot about love," Harry said, "but I'll try to answer that."

"Love?" Neville asked with a snort "I just said girlfriend, not true love."

"Well," Harry replied, "I had better be damn sure I love her if I am going to ask her out and she is going to say yes. Otherwise that would be a pretty horrible thing to do to your best friend. I also don't think that the top of your list for qualities you look for in a girlfriend should be whether or not they would say yes."

"Oh," Neville said, and Harry could see his words had struck home.

"As for overall, I love Hermione. Whether or not I love her as a girl as well as a person, I've never considered that."

"I know she isn't beautiful-"

"Honestly, I couldn't care less," Harry said, cutting Neville off. "Although I think that is more by choice than anything else. Hermione prefers to spend her morning studying than doing her hair. I bet if she tried, she would stun us all."

"Ok, then what?"

"I think the answer is in what I just said." Neville's face betrayed his total lack of understanding. "I've never even considered how I feel about her as a girl. If I had feelings towards her, I'm sure I would have thought of it at least a few times. I haven't, so I think that I would have to force it and that wouldn't last long. Hermione knows me too well for me to try and lie to her for an extended period of time, especially about something as serious as love."

"What's more, I think we wouldn't be a good couple. Hermione might give me a hard time for getting into trouble, but she always goes along with me in the end. I think that any good couple needs to fight and challenge each other, and Hermione loves me a little too much to really stick up against me when I have my mind set on something."

"But you just admitted Hermione loves you!" Neville protested.

"I said earlier I love Hermione and you didn't have a problem with that," Harry reminded Neville.

"Man, you are way too good at this arguing thing," Neville remarked.

"This isn't an argument, Nev." Harry patted his friend on the shoulder. "I'm not trying to convince you that I shouldn't be dating Hermione, I'm explaining why we aren't and why we will probably never be boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Fine," Neville agreed. "Any other points?"

"Yeah, just one," Harry admitted. "Maybe the most important reason. I think that everyone in life carries baggage, and I think a really important significant other needed to be able to understand and help you with your baggage. I might be a better student this year, but I don't think I can ever understand how hard it is for Hermione to always be the smartest, and be teased so mercilessly, sometimes even by our professors, for being that. I can't help her with that, and I'd want her to find someone who can understand that, who knows what it is to work so hard and live up to the expectations she has created for herself."

"I also don't think she really understands how rubbish it is for me to be the boy-who-lived. There is an element of our relationship where she sees me as the savior and vanquisher of the dark lord, a small one but it is still there. She has seen me do so many amazing things that it is hard for her to see me as just Harry, a normal guy. I think I would need to be with someone who understood how I feel about that, and why it bothered me so much when the first thing people see is my scar. Hermione tries, but she can never get rid of it. It's part of being an English Witch."

"Also, I'm a bit of a romantic at heart. My dad's first serious girlfriend was my mom, and my mom's first boyfriend of any type was my dad. I know it's unlikely, but wouldn't it be a wonderful story for any kids you had someday to know that all your first real moments were with their mom?" Harry shrugged his shoulders, and then turned a sharp gaze on Neville. "If you tell anyone that last part, I will hurt you."

"Never," Neville said. Harry grabbed his bag and head towards the door.

"Oh, Neville?"

"Yeah?"

"I guess the position of best mate is open," Harry said, half-joking. "Any interest?"

"Are you joking?" Neville asked, and Harry heard something in the Gryffindor's voice that made him slow down. There was an element of doubt, but also something there he rarely heard in Neville's voice. Something akin to longing and hope, something that Neville desperately needed.

"Not at all," Harry said. "How about it?"

"You going to do homework with Hermione?" Neville said. Harry nodded. "Well, I wouldn't be much of a best mate if I didn't chip in as well!" Harry smiled, a rare true smile. Neville was really a great guy, and Harry wondered if he should tell Neville the last reason he could never be with Hermione, what his real baggage was. That he needed someone who could help him shoulder the baggage that was carved out in scars on his torso and back, and even if his feelings towards Hermione changed, he would never want to drag her down with that pain.

"Let's go then," Harry said, deciding to keep his mouth shut. No one ever needed to know that.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

October, 1994

"You ok, Harry?" Neville asked as they sat on the couch one evening two week later. Harry turned to look at Neville, and was in the process of giving a simple nod, and then stopped to really think about Neville's question. Neville was a best mate who would want an honest answer, not a banal nod or a simple "I'm fine." So Harry sat and really considered the question.

His classes were going well, for the most part. He still struggled with a variety of things. Herbology was tough, and while he loved talking about dragons with Charlie and was a shoe in for an O in Care of Magical Creatures due to his friendship with Hagrid, he still had nightmares about those exploding monsters Hagrid had raised this year. But overall, there was not much to complain about, and Harry was confident that in time he would be able to master the material.

Most of his other classes were going well. Transfiguration and charms were easier than they had been in the past, and now that Moody was done cursing them every class and they were working on hexes and stunners, Harry felt confident that he could stand against every person in class, sometimes two of them at the same time. Whenever he seemed to feel his confidence starting to bubble over into hubris, Akira seemed to know and used the next morning to beat humility into him.

However, his physical skills continued to grow. He was still growing, and to build muscle and abilities as he grew was supposedly the fastest way to get better. It seemed to have results. Although he had still not landed a solid hit on his brother, magical or otherwise, a few days ago he had staggered his brother with a kick even if Akira had blocked it cleanly. So much was going well this year, but the answer to Neville's question was anything but easy.

There was something in the air that bothered him, and Harry couldn't put his finger on it. That bothered him more than anything else that was going on. Every year had presented new challenges, and some odd singular event that had ruined his year. Even though the chamber of secrets had been the true challenge his second year, something major had already gone wrong due to the Lockhart's appearance as a teacher. But nothing had happened so far.

Harry realized it was possible that all the trauma in his life might have made him overly sensitive in regards to expecting trouble of the worst kind to follow him. Something horrible surely would have happened to him if he had gone to the quidditch world cup and had been caught up in the death eaters riot. Maybe the moment Remus had dropped him at the Hayashi School his luck changed. It wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for Hayashi-Sensei or Nambung Sa Bum to cast a spell on him that changed his luck without him knowing.

"Honestly, Neville?" Neville nodded. "Never better." Ron might be gone, but for now, that was ok.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: I think that very soon, the story is going to start looking for other viewpoints given the importance of other characters and their thoughts(Obviously Harry's thoughts and viewpoints will still be prominent, but I may open up other heads to the reader while still being in Harry's POV). This is the first (but not the last chapter) where there is limited Harry and a POV where you don't know what is going on our main character's mind**

Chapter 13: The Role of a Teacher

October, 1994

Harry was faster than he was over the summer, Akira realized as he was forced to block Harry's rolling backhand. Harry withdrew and stalked around him and then rushed in a flurry of punches, but the form was sloppy and Akira glided through the eye of the storm, sticking out his left foot and allowing Harry's momentum to carry him to the ground.

"Sloppy and too obvious," Akira told Harry as he helped him to his feet. "When you get tired you telegraph your moves." Although he and Harry rarely did free sparing, Akira made a point of doing it at least for a few minutes once a week to be able to accurately measure Harry's progress. There wasn't much point in doing it more often, even if Akira was a decent enough healer to make sure that Harry went to class every morning without any serious damage.

"Sorry," Harry said, and took up a stance.

"You will be late to class," Akira told Harry, silently pleased by the drive and tenacity his younger brother was showing this morning.

"I'll shower quickly," Harry said, and then attacked. A high kick was followed by a leg sweep, and as Harry threw out a left jab, Akira realized this was the 5th kata, and was able to block the next few moves, but as the pattern moved towards its conclusion, Harry switched tactics, and instead of finishing the pattern he went chest to chest, and knocked Akira's arms to his sides which gave him a free shot at Akira's chest. Harry's fist flew towards Akira unguarded stomach, but Akira simply allowed himself to drop to the ground, his leg swinging in a circle cutting Harry's legs out from under him as the punch missed.

"Good improvisation there," Akira said as he stood over Harry, fist an inch from his head in the kill position. "That might have worked on a younger student."

"Will I ever land a clean hit on you?" Harry asked as Akira helped him to his feet and they started back towards the castle as the sun began to peek up over the horizon.

"I would hope so," Akira told him. "My dad has been studying for more years than he can count, and has been master of the school since he started training me. That doesn't mean I can't score a hit him on a rare occasion, even if I never defeat him. Right now the skill disparity is too large for luck to play a role. But keep at it and I think you might give me trouble come Yule time." Harry smiled and Akira patted his shoulder. "Now what's this I hear about Neville actually starting to keep up with your workouts?"

"For the last two weeks," Harry replied. "Obviously the form is not as clean and the amount of manual training are not as high, but I have been impressed with the hard work. Obviously I am in no position to judge or to teach him, but I figured maybe tomorrow morning he could join us, and you might teach him the three stances and some basic moves."

"Harry, how long did you spend in the boxer stance before you learned the striking stance or the counter stance?"

"Must have been a month. I know that it will be throwing a lot on him, but I figure he can work on it on his own. It might seem cruel, but I know Neville pretty well, and if you give him a lot to do, he will work really hard on it. If he actually joined us every morning, he would know that he is slowing us down and he would hate that."

"And you think he will wake up early on a weekend and join us before the sun is up?" Akira asked.

"Are you kidding?" Harry said. "If I told him he could join us he'd beat me to the entrance."

"Good to know," Akira said. "Now, I understand that Dumbledore allowed Sirius to sign a Hogsmeade slip for you, and you would like to go while not under an invisibility cloak this year."

"And tomorrow is a Hogsmeade weekend and I have work to do on my katas, I know," Harry said looking down with a resigned look on his face.

"Harry," Akira said, trying to keep his voice even. "Why do you assume the worst of me? I was going to say tomorrow is the perfect day to bring Neville since we will go easy. That way you can spend the day in town without any aches and pains." Harry's eyes lit up, and he threw his arms around Akira.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Harry turned to head back to the dorms, a spring in his step.

"One condition, Harry."

"Anything," Harry said, unable to contain his excitement.

"Last year, you hung out with Ron and Hermione in Hogsmeade." Harry couldn't keep the frustration from his face at the mention of Ron's name.

"Yeah, I guess this year it will be just me and Hermione."

"Harry, if you want to ask Hermione to Hogsmeade as a date, then feel free to do so." Harry's cheeks heated up and turned a bright red. "But I thought we talked about that Tuesday night?"

"Look, I don't know how I feel," Harry told Akira, and the young man could see the inner turmoil on the student's face. "Sometimes we are studying at night and I make her laugh and it feels like there is something more. But I think we might be too comfortable as friends for there to be anything more."

"Then perhaps a date is what you need to change the routine," Akira said, "but we are getting off topic. If you want to ask Hermione on a date, then go ahead and do that. "But if you don't, my condition comes into effect." Harry looked at Akira, and Akira had to focus on keeping a straight face. "Ask someone else out on a date."

"What?" Harry said, his face apoplectic. Then Akira started to chuckle and Harry's cheeks flushed red again. "That's not funny!"

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," Akira said, walking back towards his quarters. He smiled to himself, his secret task accomplished. Harry's studies were improving, as was his physical skill and his magic. Although he was under strict instruction from his father and Nambung Sa Bum to make sure Harry did not get a swelled head, he had enough magical skill and strength to beat almost every5th year and a decent chunk of the 6th years too. Even if by some weird coincidence another bout of horrible luck struck Harry could protect himself.

Now that he was starting to trend positively, Akira had a second goal in relation to Harry. He was confident with his studies, and with his friends. But Akira suspected that Harry had an infatuation with a Ravenclaw a year older than him, and Akira was less than impressed with the skills of Cho Chang. She was not particular strong in class, and although Akira could see Harry's eyes occasionally on the Asian witch, he never saw her in the impromptu study group that formed around Harry's practical skills and Hermione's book smarts. It was a foolish infatuation, and one Akira was determined to break Harry of.

Akira had gotten to know Hermione decently well, and after Ron's falling out with Harry the other friends Harry had introduced to Akira when they met outside of class were both impressive girls. One was a girl named Susan from Hufflepuff. Akira knew her aunt and respected Madam Bones immensely. Madam Bones was one of the few witches or wizards in England Akira would openly concede could defeat him in a purely magical fight.

To his surprise the other was Daphne Greengrass, who Harry said he was not particularly close with, but had introduced him to anyways. It was a big step from Akira's perspective. Harry had always struggled to bridge the gap to Slytherin, and if he could develop a friendship with a Slytherin, Akira suspected that if there was indeed another war on the horizon, Harry would weather the storm easier. Both of them were smart and Akira would love Harry to get the courage to ask one of the two out, but odds were that the girl would have to initiate to get emotion from Harry.

Akira didn't consider himself a matchmaker, but he suspected that if Harry could make the jump to more than friends with one of his friends, even if it was just for the day, it would be the beginning of something important. Every young person went through a crucible with relationships with a significant other, even if they ended up with their childhood sweetheart. It was all well and good for Harry to deal with struggles regarding his friendships, but Takashi Hayashi believed that if you could get all of your relationship issues, romantic and otherwise, dealt with in your teen years that would be best. Although Akira was only 2 years removed from being a teenager, he tended to agree.

Akira ate a quick breakfast in his room and then showered quickly. Harry might be late to class, but Akira was a hurry as well Friday was a busy day for him that he brought upon himself, as he had 6th years in the morning, and then a session on Friday where he offered extra help to anyone struggled with DADA in the afternoon and potions in the evening. His extra help with DADA had been welcomed by Dumbledore, but the other help had been quite controversial.

Akira had been intrigued by his father's belief that the quality of instruction was poor at the "premier" magical school in Europe and the only one in a country with the importance of Great Britain. As a visiting professor he was more than welcome to attend other classes. He had found that transfiguration with Professor McGonagall was a well taught class. He also knew of Professor Flitwick's dueling credentials and thought Flitwick's charms class was perhaps the most impressive class in school.

Other classes bordered on the barley acceptable level. Herbology was taught by the aptly named Professor Sprout, who was knowledgeable but not a great teacher. Harry had told Akira about his friend Neville who was exceptionally talented in that area, but that was primarily self-taught or done outside of normal studies. Astronomy also was on the border of acceptable, but that had not been required at Mahoutokoro nor was it a particularly useful class to the average wizard so Akira did care and did not attend more than once out of idle curiosity.

Unfortunately, most classes made Akira sick to his stomach. Akira knew that Harry was close with Hagrid, the care of magical creature's professor but outside of an occasional useful lesson that seemed to always end badly due to the half giant's ineptitude, the class was a disgrace. Muggle History was a joke, as the view of muggles did not include much of any modern history, and information about important things like weapon developments and the reason for the statute of secrecy. History of magic was even worse, and when he had visited, Akira had napped along with all the other students. Divination was a stupid subject and had an even stupider teacher.

The other electives had varying levels of instruction. Both of the professors for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy were well-informed. They knew their material, and both contributed to the subject outside of teaching, an important factor for those two electives. But both of them paled in terms of contribution and teaching skill when compared to Akira's instructors. Besides, knowledge of subject matter did not indicate that a teacher could, or even wanted to teach.

This had indirectly led to the potions tutoring session Akira taught that were poorly received by the headmaster and the potions master. Akira had only had to visit one potion class to realize that a key subject to anyone working in the magical world was entirely ruined by the teaching methods of one Severus Snape. Snape, along with being the youngest ever Master of Potions at Hogwarts had achieved an Internationally Recognized NEWT at 17 when he graduated. His lack of knowledge was not why Akira offered potions tutoring. While Akira did not love the clear favoritism Severus Snape showed, the visiting professor was not really invested in the house cup and did not care enough for that to be a deciding factor in his tutoring.

What was so concerning was that with such a wonderful understanding of the art of potion making, Snape did not teach. Instead, he told the students the page of the book they should use, what potion to make and then sat back and snidely commented on mistakes. The Master of Potions did not teach how certain ingredients would react to each other. He did not work with antidotes immediately following teaching the more dangerous potion. He didn't even teach how to properly clean a cauldron.

So Akira had spoken with his father and a few of his friends who had graduated the same year as him from a variety of schools, including Ilvermorny in Massachusets and Castelobruxo in Brazil, all of whom agreed that potions was too important a subject to leave in the hands of an inept professor. His father had pledged his support and with the head of magical martial arts instruction in Asia advocating for him, a position his father had reluctantly accepted 4 years ago, Akira was able to instil his tutoring session despite Dumbledore and Snape's chagrin and anger. Akira didn't care all that much how Snape graded in class and mainly focused on 4th and 5th years who were preparing for their OWLs. He occasionally worked with NEWT students but occasionally their work was beyond him, as he had not excelled at potions.

His lack of expertise in potions was ironic in part, as he had been the top student at Mahoutokoro and it seemed that at Hogwarts a top student needed to excel at every class. What was more ironic was that even though there was no class labelled Defense Against the Dark Arts at Mahoutokoro, Akira knew enough from his duelling class that he was by far the best teacher many of the students had ever had, better in most areas than the much admired Remus Lupin. Remus Lupin had taught the expected material in regards to facing creatures, but you were much more likely to face a dark wizard than a boggart, so Akira's classes were highly respected by every student in every house.

"So, if I remember correctly you all had an essay due today on key theory and uses of the Tarantallegra jinx." The students nodded and Akira pointed to his desk. "Why don't you all dance up here and drop it off then?" A few students chuckled and they started to file up to the beginning of the class, and Akira raised his hand. "I don't see you dancing." Most of the students did some weird swaying as they dropped the paper off, clearly uncomfortable but Akira saw a sneer from one student who did not dance and he sighed. "Mr. Davies?"

"What?" The 6th year Ravenclaw snapped at Akira.

"I don't see you dancing." When Davies remained stationary, Akira hit him with the Tarantagella jinx. Akira had done it silently; which Davies might have been able to counter. But Akira had also cast the charm wandless, so Davies spent 20 seconds with his legs flailing wildly while the rest of the students in the class laughed. "Well I hope you fix your dancing or dates you go on in the future will not end well." The girl half of the class laughed, but most of the boys looked nervous as they realized some of their best moves probably looked a bit like legs flailing all over. Akira cancelled the jinx, again silently and with no movement.

"Now, today is going to be an interesting day," Akira told the students. "I am excited as all of you to go to Hogsmeade, so I don't want to add another set of papers to grade over the weekend. The ones I have on my desk are enough. So we are going to do something optional. I want to stress that if you want, you can walk out of class right now. I would ask you to let me finish my explanation of the risks before you make a decision." None of the students moved. "Excellent."

"As you saw with the Tarantagella jinx, Nonverbal magic can be a big advantage. We have been working on that this year, and after the winter break I will be docking points for anyone who speaks and casts a spell. You should all have silent casting mastered by the end of this year, and if you are struggling with it in class I encourage you to come to my extra help hours this afternoon. If you can't make that time and are really struggling, I would happy to meet one-on-one for a brief session."

"I expect most serious wizards and witches will know how to identify wand movements and be familiar with how to deal with Nonverbal casting when you all get older. Therefore, today and on every third Friday of the month, which this is, I will be teaching wandless magic." That announcement sent the class volume from silent up to fever pitch. "Seventh years will be doing this as well, but they will do it twice a month."

"However, wandless magic is not only challenging, it is incredibly dangerous. To my knowledge, only 2 students of Hogwarts have mastered intentional wandless magic by the 6th year in the school's entire history, and the number is not much higher in 7th year. One of the two is your current headmaster. Many adults never learn wandless magic. It is worth noting that if you mess up and put too much magic into a spell, you will be lucky to spend a day with Madam Pomfrey. This is not something to do or attempt if you are not serious."

"This will require more work, including papers and a lot of theoretical work, and while your headmaster has reluctantly agreed to let me do this, he did add some stipulations. If you opt out of this class, you will get 10 house points."

"What?" A Slytherin named Adrian Pucey said. "Why would you do that?"

"So that you do not hurt yourself Mr. Pucey, although I will note your enthusiasm is impressive. I had conditions of my own once the 10-point policy was established, which is true in the 7th year class as well. If you harm yourself and require professional care, you will lose 5 points. But there is a reward. A sizeable one." Akira let the silent stretch as the students hungrily leaned forward.

"What is it?" Adrian asked.

"If you are the first in your year to learn wandless casting, you will get 150 points, and every student after will get 10 less." Akira saw the eyes of certain students light up, and others go dark with fear. "So the second student will get 140, the third 130 and so on. I would be pleasantly surprised if one of you had any type of success by the end of the year, but if you plan to try and enter the Triwizard tournament I will note that the top students at your competitor schools, Beauxbatons from France and Dumstrang from Northern Europe will be working on this as well."

Akira was pleased he had been able to slip this initiative into his class. He had learned wandless magic the summer before he met Harry, and was one of the youngest of Asian wizards to be able to do it, especially when you consider that around 95% of wizards and witches were never able to cast a single wandless spell once they attained a wand. Akira could indeed do wandless magic, but he could only cast simple spells. It did not bother him much, as he could cast nearly every other spell in his arsenal silently. Granted, he was not a master but he was far beyond most of his contemporaries. But while Akira was doing this to create stronger students, there was a hidden agenda behind this lesson.

Long discussions with his father, the taekwondo master and deadly hit wizard Nambung Sa Bum, Remus Lupin and a few other sources revealed that the dark lord Voldemort was trying to revive himself and was gathering forces. Voldemort's rise had coincided with dangerous movements in Asia, and the stirring of dangerous and divisive talk had played no small part Akira getting a job at Hogwarts. Now that he was here, the second goal of the teaching of wandless casting kicked in.

If a student was actually able to achieve it, Akira would try and guide them onto a path that was grey, or close enough to grey so that they would hopefully not support a dark lord, especially one as dangerous as Voldemort. Of course, this would also provide Akira with a list of ambitious students, and that type of information was valuable in its own right. But even if his motives were questionable, Akira knew that he would be committed to teaching this as honestly as possible, regardless of potential consequences.

While Akira rarely lectured for an entire class period, this time he did spend the entire class period going through theory at an incredibly basic level, making sure none of them had enough information to go and try casting it without supervision. As the class bell rang, Akira could tell that only a few students would be remaining. Adrian had a fire in his eyes, as did Angelina Johnson and Kenneth Towler from Gryffindor. Cedric Diggory, who many expected to be the Hogwarts champion even though he was a 6th year also stayed.

"So you will all be working with me?" The students nodded. "You will promise, right now, that you will not attempt any wandless spells out of my presence, or I will kick you out right now." Everyone agreed very quickly. "Good." Akira motioned to his desk, and the students saw something Akira knew they would not recognize.

"What are those?" Cedric asked.

"Pens, paper, and binder clips," Akira told him. "Parchment and quill are so stupid, and since this is voluntary and my class, you will do your assignments with more modern implements. Pens have ink inside them, and you would need to write hundreds of pages before it would run out. Paper is much easier to write on then parchment, and it doesn't curl up. You can write on both sides of it as well."

"But what if we write more than one double sided page?" Kenneth asked.

"That's what the binder clip is for." Akira demonstrated how to use all three implements, and while the students were confused, Akira knew that the brightest and most ambitious students in his class could figure it out. "Two double sided pages on the dangers of improper wandless casting by our next meeting next month. If you drop out at any time, you will still get the 10 points." Three of the students shuffled out of the class, but Cedric stayed. "Mr. Diggory, can I help you?"

"You are close with Harry, right?"

"Mr. Potter?"

"Susan says you call him by his first name."

"Ms. Bones has a loose tongue, it seems," Akira remarked, and saw Cedric flush angrily. "I mean no disrespect, but it seems she heard a story from you as well. I didn't know Hufflepuffs were such big gossips."

"We aren't" Cedric protested. "But Susan and I are really close. Our parents were close, and Susan's mom was my godmother. Amelia has been like a surrogate parent to me, and my dad entertained the notion of making a marriage contract between the two of us."

"Why didn't he?" Akira asked. To his surprise, Cedric answered quickly and with no hesitation.

"She doesn't love me as anything more than a brother." Cedric seemed almost happy as he explained. "We would have a pleasant relationship and would get along well enough, but it wouldn't be love." He gave Akira a piercing glance. "Is it silly to try for something serious like love?"

"I'm not much older than you," Akira told Cedric, "so I wouldn't pretend to know. But we are straying from the original topic of Harry."

"Right, sorry," Cedric said. Akira waved the apology away. "He can cast a fully corporeal Patronus?"

"You are remarkably well informed on Harry gossip," Akira said mildly.

"Flitwick told me that," Cedric explained. "He can't cast a fully corporeal Patronus, and even though it is not required for N.E. , a few of us in the 6th year charms class want to learn. Could you ask Harry if he would be willing to meet with us?"

"No," Akira said, and Cedric looked surprised. "If I asked Harry, it would seem like a request from me and he would accept. If you want help, go ask himself yourself, or go ask with the fellow students who are interested."

"That's fair," Cedric said. "Thank you, Professor Hayashi."

"Of course, Mr. Diggory. I hope you enjoy your Hogsmeade weekend."

"I will," Cedric said, a twinkle in the student's eye.

"I assume you have a special date," Akira teased. To his surprise Cedric blushed.

"Um, no I don't. There is a girl…" Cedric trailed off, seeming more uncertain than Akira had ever seen.

"I don't want to pry," Akira said, waving Cedric away.

"Actually, I could use some adult advise, if you don't mind," Cedric said. Akira sighed but Cedric looked desperate.

"I'll try," Akira eventually replied. For moment, he understood how Snape felt. It was entirely inappropriate for him to talk to Cedric about this, but he really liked the boy and while this didn't fall under the purview of the house cup, this conversation fell under the wide definition of favoritism.

"I had a crush on a Ravenclaw, a girl named Cho Chang." A flicker of disgust flashed across Akira's face. "You don't like her either," Cedric remarked, and Akira reluctantly nodded, surprised Cedric had seen and recognized the slight change in his eyes when Cedric had mentioned the Asian witch. Was there something about her that Akira was not seeing?

"Who else doesn't like her?"

"Every single one of my friends," Cedric admitted. "One of my friends said that since I am such a bookworm, I should go to the library to look for a date. Then last week I was in the library, and I saw a girl I knew, and it was just like…" Cedric seemed lost for words. "It was like a thunderbolt. I saw her in an entirely different light."

"So ask her out to Hogsmeade," Akira said. "I'm happy you trust me with this information, but this seems like an opportune chance to summon some Gryffindor courage, and I'm not sure what advice I can give you."

"Well, she is a few years younger, and I'm pretty sure she has a boyfriend."

"What year is she, exactly?" Akira asked, a creeping suspicion entering his mind.

"4th year," Cedric said, and all the pieces clicked into place in the young professor's mind. He felt a little sick and wished he had gone back in time and refused the request, even if it would have soured the relationship with his favorite student who had taken O.W.L.s.

"It's Hermione Granger," Akira said, and Cedric didn't deny it. "Do you actually want Harry to teach you the Patronus?"

'Oh, that is a true request," Cedric said. "But I might test the temperature for him and Hermione as well."

"Ok, I will give you advice," Akira said reluctantly. "I would not ask Harry about it. If you do, I think he will realize that he and Hermione will make a good couple, and you would never have a chance against Harry, not while they are in school and don't have to deal with real life problems. If you really like her, ask her out yourself, even if you start as friends. Get to know her first. To do that, you will have to go through Harry, and if you ask him about Hermione during your first real conversation, you will not only not get Hermione, but you will not get Harry as a friend or teacher either."

"Thank you, Professor."

"I'll keep your secret too," Akira said in an answer to the unasked question, and Akira saw Cedric heave a sigh of relief. "Now get to lunch. I have to prepare to pitch the rest of the faculty on the virtue of pens. And Cedric?" The older student turned and looked at Akira. "Call me Akira." A wide smile spread over his face as Cedric nodded and soon Akira was left leaning on his desk, his eyes a little wild. He took out his wand, and locked and soundproofed his room, wanting to make sure the spells were perfectly cast. Then he went over to the fireplace and tossed some powder in, and stepped through the fire and into an office.

"Akira, what a pleasant surprise!" Nambung Sa Bum said, stepping forward and catching the younger boy in a hug. "Don't you have a class to teach right now?"

"Actually, I have an hour break, and I need advice," Akira told the taekwondo master. "My father found love in an arranged marriage, so I was hoping you might help."

"Please tell me you did not fall in love with a student." Akira snorted at the idea. "Good. That would cause a whole nest of problems. So why bring this to me?"

"It involves Harry," Akira told Nambung, and his master's eyes lit up. Nambung had a soft spot for Harry, seeing someone who hated his fame and had instantly seen a kindred spirit.

Even before he gained the title of Sa Bum, Nambung had been a rising star in Asia. The youngest man to ever gain a black belt and 2nd dan, or double black belt distinction in taekwondo and judo had made Nambung a celebrity. He had been on the cover of magizines and every Asian ministry had tried to hire the prodigy. Nambung was a pure martial artists and fighter and eventually Takashi Hayashi had driven the reporters away and Nambung had accepted a job in his homeland of Korea as the secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Akira was privy to a secret few knew. Nambung's second in command handled all the responsibility, and Nambung was employed by the combined might of the Asian ministries of magic as a hit-wizard and and black ops operative. Everyone on his squad was allowed to use the unforgivable curses with no reservations. In Nambung's case, he rarely needed to, as he was a 12th dan in taekwondo, as well as a 7th dan in judo and a 7th dan in Wing Chun, a form of kung fu. It was said that there was no man more lethal with his hands and having seen Nambung fight at full strength against multiple top level masters since he was a child, Akira knew it was more truth than rumor.

When he had met Harry over the summer, the Korean had expected to find a boy puffed up on his own importance. Instead he found a humble boy who didn't believe in himself and hated his fame, especially because he didn't believe it was deserved. Harry primarily focused on the Hayashi style of Karate over the summer, but every moment he wasn't working on Karate, he was with Nambung Sa Bum, either working on taekwondo or simply talking. What made it even sweeter was that every man in Asia would kill for Harry's access, but both the boy and the master seemed entirely unaware and were simply content to find someone they could connect with.

"So Harry is having love troubles?" Nambung asked. "That's a good thing, right?"

"Well, it's complicated."

"All love is," Nambung said. "So, what's going on in Scotland with my apprentice?"


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: So OC's have a real role in this story, as you hopefully have figured out. Also, I don't consider this a cliffhanger. I just don't think that Akira explaining the situation to Nambung is all that important, so I'm avoiding it. As a heads up, to fill up some spaces I will occasionally create OC characters that have relevance but are not truly important This will happen in this chapter for the first but not last time, and his name is Jason ****Chambers**** . Now back to Harry's POV.**

Chapter 14: Hello Prongs

October, 1994

"Harry!" Cedric called, racing after him in the hallway. Harry turned to the Hufflepuff seeker, surprised Cedric was talking to him. It wasn't that Cedric was unfriendly, it was just that the older boy reaching out randomly was unexpected.

"Hello Cedric," Harry said, a little unsure as to what Cedric would want. "Did you have a good weekend?" In the end, Harry had been too chicken to ask anyone and had gone to Hogsmeade with Neville and Dean, although Neville had mysteriously disappeared on Sunday but had denied the accusations of a date quite firmly. Harry and Dean were both believed his denials, but were stumped as to his disappearance. Harry had brought it up to Akira, and Akira had just laughed and told Harry not to worry about it.

Akira was now Harry's primary confidant for all things friend's related. Hermione was still his best friend, and probably the most important person in Harry's life, even if Harry knew it was extremely unlikely he would ever try and make their relationship anything more than a wonderful friendship that would withstand every test. But Harry didn't want to let Hermione realize she was the reason that Ron and Harry weren't talking. Hermione had tried to play peacekeeper, but after a particularly nasty exchange with Seamus while Ron sat in silent approval, Hermione had cut off the redhead as well. It was clear she was hurting, so Harry went to Akira with his issues regarding friends, rather than endangering any of Hermione's other friendships.

"I did, thank you," Cedric said. Harry considered nodding and walking away, but then remembered that Akira had admitted that Cedric was his favorite older student, and that Harry would be well served by having older and more mature friends who didn't play for the Gryffindor quidditch team. "I have a question. Actually, it's more of a favor."

"I won't promise anything," Harry told Cedric, "but as long as it's not about another rumor, I will try and help."

"Sorry about that," Cedric admitted. "Susan and I will stay quiet, I promise." Cedric scrunched his brows together as he seemed to realize something, and Harry gave the older student a second to collect his thoughts. "This isn't a rumor, but you might be a little mad I know this."

"Know what?" Harry asked, genuinely curious. "I promise, I'm not full of secrets.

"But you can cast a fully corporeal Patronus." Cedric said. Harry kept his face blank, even if his mind was whirring. Hermione never would have told, and neither would have Dumbledore. How was it possible someone Harry didn't even consider a friend knew? "In the interest of full disclosure, two others know as well. Your quidditch captain and another 6th year Hufflepuff Jason Chambers."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Professor Flitwick told us. We all showed interest in the charm, and he cannot create a corporeal Patronus. Dumbledore is obviously too busy to teach us, and to my surprise Akira cannot create a corporeal Patronus either. Mad Eye might be able to help us, but he…"

"He's creepy," Harry agreed as Cedric trailed off. "I wouldn't really want private instruction from him either. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way."

"So the three of us were hoping you could train us?"

"You know that a corporeal Patronus is incredibly hard to produce." Harry saw Cedric's eyes harden. "Might I suggest Professor McGonagall?"

"Harry." Cedric stared right at Harry, the intensity in the Hufflepuff's eyes making him a little uncomfortable. "Can you help us, or not?" Harry groaned silently. There was no real harm in teaching Cedric and two others, was there? Angelina had always been a steadfast friend, and if Jason was Cedric's friend, he couldn't be all that bad. It wasn't like the Patronus could be used for anything other than driving dementors away, which was essentially a public service and good for everyone involved.

"I am pretty busy most of the time, but I might be able to help." Harry sighed in resignation. This would be a good thing to do for a whole variety of reasons, and any excuses he came up with in his head sounded stilted and petty. The only thing Harry was concerned was his use of time, but apparently Cedric had gone through Akira…

"Cedric, did you just call Professor Hayashi by his first name?"

"He prefers that," Cedric told Harry.

"No, he doesn't," Harry said, taking a careful look at the older boy. "He definitely does not."

"He corrected me when I talked with him on Friday," Cedric told Harry.

"Well, I guess if he said it," Harry said, taking a deep breath. It had only during the end of August that Akira had allowed him the informality of letting Harry use his first name, and that was only because they had become brothers. Akira didn't let his name drop lightly, and while Harry doubted that Akira and Cedric were as close as Harry was with the new professor, Akira could use this as a way to send Harry a hidden message. "Ok," Harry said.

"Ok like you will help?" Cedric asked.

"Yes." Harry glared at Cedric, which dampened the enthusiasm in his eyes. "I assume you are going to put your name into the cup Saturday."

"Maybe."

"Cedric." Harry' glare turned steely.

"Ok, my friends will probably force me," Cedric admitted.

"Then let's meet Thursday night, on the fourth floor. We will find a classroom and I will try and give you enough to work on it by the end of the weekend."

"Sounds good," Cedric told Harry. "What about you, Harry? Going to try and trick the line?"

"I hid the fact I fought a basilisk and dementors," Harry told him. "You think I want attention?"

"I think you might win," Cedric told Harry as he walked away.

"Prat," Harry said under his breath, even if he was grinning a little bit from the compliment from the older wizard. He would have to talk to Akira, but it seemed like he would not be able to do physical training this weekend. Then he remembered another promise and he paled slightly. It would be bad enough to teach some 6th years, but if he didn't invite Daphne, she would probably murder him. No doubt she would be mortified to be seen with Harry by anyone outside of Harry's close social circle, but her desire to work on her Patronus might overcome that.

Thursday came quickly that week and Harry's question was answered as Daphne appeared over the platform, glaring at him as Harry stood chatting amicably with Angelica. Their relationship had been repaired by the fact there was no quidditch this year, and Harry loved the irony that created that paradox.

"Daphne?" Angelica asked, surprised by the appearance of the Slytherin girl.

"I'm not much happier than you about this," Daphne snapped. "So just keep it to yourself Johnson."

"Wow, even a Slytherin," Cedric commented as he and his friend Jason appeared on the platform. "Didn't know you had so many admirers, Harry."

"What do you mean, even a Slytherin?" Harry asked, and then the silent ramifications kicked in. "Who else?" Harry asked, his shoulders slumping. This was quickly getting out of control.

"Hi Harry," Cho Chang said as she trailed behind Cedric on their way up to the platform. "Thanks for agreeing to teach us."

"Happy to," Harry said through grated teeth. While he might have had a bit of a crush on her last year, that was quickly overpowered by his frustration at yet another secret seeming to spiral out of control. "Angelica, please find us an empty classroom. Cedric, a word?" Angelica trooped down the hallway with purpose, the other potential pupils following her as Cedric came over to Harry, a smile on his face. "What exactly is yet another student doing here? I remember you saying something to the effect of I promise I won't spread rumors."

"It's not a rumor if it is true. Then it is just a fact," Cedric remarked, which did nothing to stifle Harry's glare.

"That's just semantics," Harry snapped.

"Sorry, I don't know that word," Cedric said, but the easy smile on his face told Harry that Cedric was lying. Worse, Cedric knew Harry knew he was lying, and that made the debate even more enjoyable to the Hufflepuff. Harry quickly revised his opinion on Cedric. He might be loyal, but he was certainly bright and devious too. No wonder Cedric had attracted Akira's attention, even if he was a little insufferable in their limited interactions.

"Whatever," Harry said, turning on his heel.

"Harry, I thought you liked Cho," Cedric said, jogging after Harry and grabbing his arm. "I invited her for you, so you could show off."

"What made you think that?"

"I'm a Hufflepuff. We tend to blend it a decent amount, and get pretty good at noticing things… like the way you always glance at her when she is looking elsewhere at dinner."

"Well, in the future please don't notice." Cedric nodded sadly. "Cedric, I'm not really mad. I mean, Cho is…" Harry fumbled for the words.

"I know how you feel," Cedric told Harry as they stopped outside the door Angelica had entered one-minute prior.

"You have an unattainable crush?" Harry didn't believe that for a second.

"She is in love with someone else. She doesn't know it yet, and neither does the guy she is in love with. I hope I can swoop in before they realize their feelings," Cedric told him. "I'll stop you from asking right now. It wouldn't be right for me to spread gossip." Harry stared at Cedric his mouth a little open as Cedric walked into the room, the easy grin back on his face.

"So, corporeal Patronus?" Angelica asked as Harry followed Cedric into the room. "Would it be too much to ask for some proof."

"That's reasonable," Jason added.

"It would be cool to see," Cho admitted.

"It is only fair," Cedric added. Harry shook his head, but more in frustration than disagreement. "Come on, Professor Potter."

"Fine." Harry snapped his wand out and focused on the memory he would use.

July, 1996

"Come on," Nambung Sa Bum said lazily as he swayed under another kick and tapped an off-balance Harry in the chest. "You are throwing too much power into the kick. Stay on balance."

"But then I never make it through your block," Harry complained, and was rewarded with a gentle smack to the head.

"Stop complaining," Sa Bum told him, and Harry growled and dove for his teacher's legs, trying to catch him off guard. Harry crashed to the floor, his arms and body catching only air. He felt pressure on his back for a moment, and then Sa Bum stepped off him as Harry slowly rolled over to look at the sneer on his master's face.

"This is impossible," Harry told him as he took the offered hand and rose to his feet.

"Not impossible, boy," Sa Bum said, and Harry nodded. Ever since the first night they had begun training, the night after they first met, Sa Bum had called him boy. He had talked to Akira about it, and Akira said that Sa Bum only bothered to learn your name if he felt you were worthy. It had taken Akira 3 years to get name recognition. Granted Akira was 9 at the time, but Harry wanted nothing more to be called by his name. "Want to quit on me?"

"Not tonight," Harry said, and shifted to the looser counter stance, his legs closer together than the boxer stance and his arms loose at his side. "I have one trick left."

"Then come," Sa Bum said, but Harry stayed still. "Fine. I'll come to you." The distance was closed in an instant and Sa Bum snapped his fist out, landing a hit on Harry's midriff. But for the past two months, even at the end of July, Sa Bum had used the same pattern when he attacked, a jab at the midriff followed by a high kick from his right leg. Even at the insane speed his teacher delivered the blows, Harry had seen in thousands of times and for the first time ducked under the kick.

Harry had gone through the pattern more times than he could count. He swiveled to face Sa Bum's chest and threw a left punch, followed by a block to catch Sa Bum's counter. He repeated on the right side, and then the left, and again with the right. On the fourth pattern, Sa Bum caught the punch and Harry allowed the momentum from the caught blow to yank him forward and seemed to fall.

But Harry did not fall, but allowed the falling momentum to allow him to take one more step forward. For the first time in two months, thanks to extra training during lunch and dinner with Akria, Harry was finally inside Sa Bum's kicking range. There was no hesitation as Harry regained his balance and threw all his momentum and power into the punch. But Harry stumbled as he hit only air, and he felt the smack to the back of his neck, and then the world went black.

Harry felt the rush of cold water and jumped to his feet. He saw Sa Bum standing across from him, his wand in his hand and an odd look on Korean man's face.

"I missed again," Harry said, feeling despondent.

"Yes, you did," Sa Bum said. Harry slumped to the floor. "That was good technique, boy. I did not expect Hayashi-san to teach you anything beyond the basics this summer."

"His son taught it to me during our meal breaks," Harry admitted. "But I still can't land a real blow."

"No, you can't," Sa Bum told him. "But I had to turn around that blow to dodge it. The next I call you boy, please correct me."

"Hm?"

"It seemed that you have the necessary skills to learn real techniques, Harry. It is time to begin your instruction in earnest." Harry nodded, and then realized that for the first time since he had arrived this summer and met the enigmatic taekwondo master, he had been referred to by name. A huge smile spilled over Harry's face and he felt happier than he had felt all summer. "Normally I would frown upon displays of emotion. But for tonight only, I will allow it."

Harry had gotten used to Nambung Sa Bum's mannerisms over the summer. A scowl meant he was disappointed and wanted Harry to try hard. A small frown meant that while Harry had improved, there was still work to do. When his teacher's expression was neutral it meant that young wizard was exceeding his expectations. So when Nambung Sa Bum favored him with a small smile and patted Harry on the back in congratulations, Harry exploded with pride.

"Thank you, Sa Bum."

"Of course," Nambung said. "Take the night off. I will talk to Hayashi-san about a new training schedule in the morning."

"Sa Bum!" Nambung turned to look at Harry. "Thank you."

"Good job, Harry," the master replied. "See you in the morning."

October, 1996

"Harry allowed the joy he had felt at the only time the stern master had given him real praise over the summer to sweep through his body as he gripped his wand tightly. He raised the wand as the feeling reached its peak and he stepped forward. "Expecto Patronum!"

A stag burst forth from Harry's wand, trotting around the room looking for the monsters that would call Harry to bring forth the majestic creature from Harry's heart. It looked around and then seemed to turn its head quizzically towards Harry, and walked back towards him and lowered his hand. The stag glowed with an unearthly brilliance, and it seemed almost solid. Harry reached out his hand, and for the briefest of moments Harry felt like he was touching the stag.

Then the apparition started to fade and Harry knew that the sensation had been in his imagination. He turned sadly to the stunned group of students, and it took a moment for him to compose himself. Harry was surprised to feel a tear trickling down his cheek, one he allowed to flow freely and unashamedly.

"Wow," was all Jason could manage. That was more than any of the other students could manage, as all three of them were dumbstruck. "That was a real stag."

"I don't know that I'll be able to do that again," Harry admitted as he sunk to a nearby chair. "That was exhausting."

"Yeah, it looked like it," Angelica said.

"Well, the Patronus isn't just about your magical power. If it was, everyone could cast it. If anything, it isn't about magic. It is about you, and what you can imagine." All four students stared intently at Harry. "To learn the Patronus, you need to do three things. The first is to find the happiest memory you can. Take your time, and choose carefully. Something closest to unbridled joy and enthusiasm can work well too."

Harry sat silently, taking deep breaths as all four older students closed their eyes and searched through their memories. It took Jason, Angelica, and Cho a few minutes, but as they opened their eyes Cedric still stared blankly ahead. Cho went to shake him, but Harry shook his head. After a minute more Cedric's eyes focused, and Harry smiled as the boy nodded at him.

Daphne stood off to the side as the older students focused. Harry had almost forgotten his friend was here as he cast the charm. Harry felt her eyes boring into him with curiosity. Harry realized that in their lessons, he had never showed her Prongs.

"It's beautiful," Daphne said quietly. "That's Prongs?"

"Yes," Harry said, just as quiet. "Let's keep that between us." Daphne nodded, a small smile flickering over her face, one that made Harry a little nervous. Daphne only smiled when a nefarious plan came to mind. In order to distract himself Harry turned back to the, for lack of a better word, class.

"Ok, I doubt any of you will be able to do anything corporal this time. It took me a lot of time. If you do, then I don't know what you need me for." Harry looked expectantly at the other students, who looked at him blankly. "You need to cast the charm. Just extend your wand. No fancy movements, just point and cast." Jason had the decency to looked ashamed, and the rest looked at their shoes. "Let's see what you get." All 5 raised their wands and shouted the charm.

It was no surprise to Harry that most of them got nothing. It had taken him months to be able to conjure the white mist, and a few more months to get that mist into a form. It was only at the lake that he had been able to create Prongs, and if he was being honest with himself, he was surprised that he could still summon Prongs with no imminent danger. That seemed to be when Harry performed his best, with his death on the line, which was both motivating and terrifying.

What was more surprising was the results of the two students who had some success. Cedric's wand had summoned something like a gentle cloud, nothing that he could even begin to make into a form but it was proof that he had a memory that he could start to work with. Next to him Daphne's face took on a look of intense concentration as the cloud of mist started to build around her. Harry was almost shocked into silence by the mist radiating from his friend, but a gasp of surprise from Cho startled him into action.

"Daphne, keep calm," Harry told her. "The mist is there, but you can't force it into a form. You need to guide it into the form you feel comfortable with." Daphne took a deep breath and the mist started to swirl in front of her. "There is something there, right? Just encourage it." The mist continued to swirl, and an indistinct blur started to appear and shine. Then Daphne seemed to the wilt in exhaustion, and Harry rushed over to her in concern.

"Pretty good right, Harry," Daphne said, giving him a small smile and then she collapsed into his arms, unconscious.

"Yikes," Cedric said as he hurried over to her. "Is she ok?"

"She will be ok," Harry said, picking Daphne up in his arms. He was surprised she was so light, but if anything, Harry figured it was just his increased strength. "Angelina, would you mind running to the common room and grabbing some food, preferably something sweet? I'll meet you right outside. Cedric and Jason, if you could make sure no one is around." The three older students burst from the room with purpose.

"Harry, that was amazing." Cho had a look of admiration in her eyes, and Harry was tempted to puff out his chest. Then Daphne stirred a little in his arms and Harry looked down fondly at his new friend, forgetting Cho's entirely. "What memory did you use?"

"That's not a very nice question Cho," Harry replied. "You are asking me what my happiest memory is."

"You can trust me Harry," Cho said, moving closer and looking Harry right in the eye. Harry felt his resolve wavering, and even though he had no intention of ever telling anyone at Hogwarts about Sa Bum, words started to appear right behind his lips.

"Coast is clear Harry," Jason said, bursting into the room. Harry jolted back in surprise, and then nodded and hurried Daphne out the room. Jason was right behind him, but Cho had disappeared. As they reached the common room, Harry put Daphne down and let Angelica get some of the food down her throat. Daphne's eyes flicked open, and she saw the older students crowded around her.

"Harry?" Daphne asked weakly, and Harry leaned through the circle. "I felt it coming out. I'm sorry I couldn't hold it."

"Don't be sorry," Harry told her. "That was around a million times better than my first time. It must have been an amazing memory."

"Actually, it wasn't a memory," Daphne admitted, starting to get up. She stumbled a bit, and Harry caught her and lowered her back to the ground. "It was more like something I wish would happen." Harry handed her the chocolate and she ate a little.

"What was it?" Jason asked

"I should tell you all one thing," Harry said, his voice a little colder than usual, which got everyone's attention. "I don't mind working with this with all of you, but you should never ask about their Patronus trigger. If you want to share it, that's fine, but the next person who asks about it can find themselves a new teacher."

"I didn't think about it like that," Jason said, clearly distraught. "I'm so sorry Daphne."

"I know you didn't mean anything by it," Harry told Jason, "but just be careful about it in the future. Eventually you get to a stage where you just use the feeling and don't use a memory for a trigger, as that can take too long, but for now we will use memories. I use one because it is the easiest way to channel the emotion. Hopefully I'll be able to move past that in the future, but for now it seems to be working fine."

"I barely got any fog and I am exhausted," Cedric admitted.

"Seems like we have come to a natural stopping point," Harry said. "Not to mention I have a runes essay due tomorrow that I am clueless about."

"I can help," Daphne said, still looking a little sleepy.

"You need more chocolate and sleep," Harry told her sternly. "Can you make it back to the common room on your own?"

"I think you will have to carry me," Daphne said, and the other students laughed. Harry looked at her with an eyebrow raised, but Daphne met his stare evenly. "Come on, Harry. Where is my gallant prince when I need him?"

"I hate you," Harry muttered to himself. "You will never live this down if anyone ever sees me carrying you, right?"

"Then you better be quick," Daphne replied. Harry nodded and swung Daphne into his arms easily. "Ok, you know I was joking."

"Too bad," Harry said as he started walking down the hall. Daphne punched him in the arm, but only when he got down the next set of stairs did he set Daphne down. "Gallant prince?"

"Well, it felt appropriate," Daphne replied. "Maybe we can go somewhere private and you can carry me around some other time."

"You are impossible," Harry said, and Daphne favored him with a smile, a real one with no reservations. "Good work today." Harry shook his head. "I sound like a professor."

"Well, you are a pretty good professor. Are you sure you don't want my help with the runes essay?"

"Hermione did say you are better than her, so in all honesty I would really appreciate it." Daphne nodded. "But I was serious when I said you needed to go get some sleep." Daphne opened her mouth but Harry put a finger over it. "I know that you will argue with me until I give in, and I promise I will never shush you again, but please Daphne, go rest." He took his finger away and Daphne looked a little angry. "Daphne. You collapsed 5 minutes ago. I don't need to spend the rest of my night worrying about you."

"Huh." The look on Daphne's face was new to Harry, and to his surprise she put her arms around him and gently hugged him. Harry tensed a little bit. He had never been hugged by anyone not named Hermione, and his first instinct was to push her away. As he brought his arms up to her shoulders she shrugged his push away and buried deeper into his chest.

"Daphne!" Harry cried out, but the Slytherin didn't move an inch. "What if someone sees?"

"Are you embarrassed?" Daphne murmured into his chest

"Absolutely!" Harry said, trying and failing to keep the wild panic out of his voice.

"Serves you right," Daphne said, although she didn't remove her arms.

"Uh, Harry?" Harry heard a voice behind him, and turned and saw Dean standing on the platform above him, a flabbergasted look on his face. "Hermione was wondering if you needed help with the Runes essay…Hello Daphne."

"Hello Dean," Daphne said, moving her head back slightly so she could see who was talking.

"Should I leave you two alone?"

"No!" Harry as Daphne said "Absolutely."

"Argh!" Harry said, finally disentangling from her hug. Dean was doubled over in laughter as Daphne turned and walked away.

"See you tomorrow, Harry," Daphne told him. They usually had their lessons about what it meant to be a lord on Friday, but Dean didn't know that and laughed even harder as she disappeared down the stairs. Harry walked up to Dean and glared him in the eye.

"Not. A. Word." Dean nodded and it took him all of three steps to laugh again.

"So, you and a Slytherin, huh?" Harry elbowed Dean in the side which send his friend into another gale of laughter.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Over 500 follows! That is absolutely amazing! Thank you all so much for favoriting, following, and reviewing!**

Chapter 15: Pure of Blood

October, 1994

"So what's this I hear about an illicit tryst with Daphne?" Neville said as he and Harry headed to the classroom where Daphne and him had been meeting every Friday since the first week of school. Hermione had gone to the second meeting and then said she had better things to do. Occasionally Neville stopped by, and had decided to come today.

"Nothing to talk about," Harry shot back. "Just stupid rumors."

"Whatever you say," Neville said. "Loverboy," he added with a chuckle after a few moments.

"Ugh" Harry grunted in frustration, which just caused Neville to laugh. "Have I mentioned how annoying you are recently?"

"No, Lord Potter," Neville said with a half-bow. "I bow to your wisdom." Harry gave Neville a half shove, and soon they were both laughing as they entered the classroom Harry had been coming to the past month every Friday evening.

"What's so funny?" Daphne asked as Neville and Harry plopped down in seats across from her.

"Nothing, Lovergirl," Neville said, and Harry punched him again. "Sorry. I'll keep my very obvious observations to myself."

"Thank you," Daphne said with a grimace. "I wasn't myself yesterday."

"So then when you were yourself today, did you kiss him in runes?"

"Neville!" Harry said, tackling his year mate.

"I yield!" Neville said, and Harry got off him.

"You are worse than Fred and George," Harry told Neville. "Can you relax for like 1 hour?"

Neville nodded, but his smile remained on his face. Neville smiled a lot more now, but that was one of just a few changes that Neville had undergone during month since Neville had taken the role of "best mate." Harry was not so conceited to believe that he was the primary reason for Neville's change, but it would be foolish to consider the two events entirely unrelated.

Neville had, for lack of a better word, a confidence that could only be described as swagger. It only flashed through for short moments, and most of the time the future Lord Longbottom was reticent and shy, but occasionally, when he was around people he was comfortable with Neville could tease and quip with the best of them.

It was a welcome change in many ways. Neville was no closer to standing up to Snape, but he might speak unprompted in a variety of classes. A few approving nods from the professors in question solidified Harry's belief that Neville was changing in a way that others noticed as well. Now that Ron was almost entirely gone, Neville had taken a crucial role in their group. Dean was the jokester, Lavender the gossip, Hermione the queen of focus, Harry the key teacher of practical work, and Neville the glue that held the group together that balanced all the forces. Granted, whenever Susan and Hannah joined them, which was more often than not, Neville instantly reverted to his shyer self.

Harry had some beliefs about Neville's struggles to show his new self around the two Hufflepuffs girl, and had been thinking about how to address the problem. He figured that the solution would be to put Neville in a situation where his new confidence would shine through. To his surprise, earlier that week Lavender had taken Harry aside as he was approaching Neville.

"Leave it alone, Harry," Lavender had ordered him. "Neville is still the same for a very clear reason."

"I don't know what you mean," Harry lied. Lavender fixed him with a steely stare. "Fine." Harry admitted. "Would it be the worst thing in the world if Neville could be confident and braver with people who are not in our house?"

"Not at all," Lavender told him, "but he is a very important position, and even with all your good intentions if you rush in without thinking it through, you will ruin it for him." Lavender consistently surprised him with astute observations, and Harry once again was forced to recalculate his assessment of the bubbly girl, as he had been doing all year.

"Ok," Harry had agreed, and the odd dynamic had continued through that week. Dean and Lavender had knowing smiles the entire time, and Hermione was so focused on studying that she didn't pick up on it. Neville and Hannah were both oblivious, but it would have been no fun if they knew. What surprised Harry was that Susan had no interest in bothering the situation either, until Lavender had told Harry that the same day she spoke to Harry she had spoken to Susan, telling her to leave it alone as well.

"Are you two done joking now?" Daphne snapped, bringing Harry back to the present.

"Sorry Daphne," Neville apologized, and Harry echoed the sentiment. "If you don't mind, I guess I'll start today."

"With what?" Daphne asked. Almost always, she started their little chats. For Neville to interrupt the established rhythm must have meant he had something important.

"With info on Harry's magical guardian, or potential options for a future guardian" Neville said, which instantly shut Harry and Daphne up. Over all their talks, it had been determined that the information of who Harry's magical guardian, getting in touch with them and making sure they were a good guardian was deemed of paramount importance. Neville's grandmother had taken to the task, and while Daphne had been a little less forthcoming discussing who she had looking into it, she had reassured Harry that if there was information her source would dig it out even if it took time.

"I'll start with the bad news," Neville said. "The bad news was that my gran found that all records around Harry's parents, magical lineage, godparents and magical guardian were sealed by the Wizengamot. It's a mess trying to get through something like that without any legitimate legal clout. If my gran tried to convene a meeting to get that unsealed, it would be a nightmare. It would become common knowledge that Harry didn't know anything about the magical world, and that would be a devastating blow to your reputation."

"However, there were other things she could do," Neville continued. "My gran is technically, through a whole set of convoluted set of laws Harry's temporary current godmother. Harry you may not understand how important to role of a godmother is in the magical world, but if your current magical guardian cannot show a convincing reason for you to stay at the Dursleys she can petition the head of the Wizengamot for custody of you in a private session."

"That's great!" Harry said, knowing that Neville was happy with the excitement he was showing from his friends matching smile.

"Still on the bad news," Neville said, his smile fading. "She did exactly that, and in the process learned who your magical guardian is. Apparently, in your parent's will, upon their death you were supposed to go live with Sirius Black. Obviously that would never happen, but because of that request, other options in the will were thrown out such as living with me and Gram or even living with your father's dad Charles. He passed away when you were a kid."

"So I'm stuck with the Dursley's?" Harry asked, trying to keep the despair from his voice. Remus had explained at the end of the year that it would come out that he had spent the year away from the Dursleys and that Dumbledore had a reason for Harry to remain there. If there was another threat to Harry this year, he would return there this summer and Remus would not be able to smuggle Harry away again.

"Now time for the good, and frankly bizarre news," Neville said. "Daphne, do you want to explain what you need to keep pureblood status? You might also be better at explaining the Potter line."

"Harry, the Potter line is one of the longest lines in Wizarding Europe. My research showed that the only reason you were not one of the sacred 28 is because your side of the Potter line didn't live in Britain until around 200 years ago. You are connected to a family called Peverell that has been in Britain for ever, but only distantly. But for you to be deemed Lord Potter, you need to be Pureblood."

"Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to have a line of all Wizard parents to be a pureblood and keep any status your family has had for a long time," Daphne explained. "Anyone can keep their status as long as your parents have at least one magical parent. Your dad would clearly keep his title since both his parents were magical. Then since your mom had a wizard parent, you would retain the rights of the Potter line."

"But my mom is muggle born!" Harry exclaimed.

"No, she isn't," Daphne said. "Harry I'm so sorry but I didn't want to get your hopes up until we knew who. I told Neville two weeks ago that your mom was given up for adoption the day she was born. Your mother might have known because that record was sealed, and since your parent's will was sealed due to their request to have you live with a mass murderer there is no way of knowing if your mom knew who her birth parents were." Harry frowned at the description of Sirius. "I know, thank god you didn't have to live with that monster Black."

"About that…" Harry said, his voice tense. "Never mind," Harry said, changing his mind. There was enough going on to not have to get into the truth about his godfather.

"Since Neville said he had good news, I assume his grandmother managed to find out who your grandmother and grandfather are."

'She did, with a lot of favors, bribery and even a few well-placed threats. She couldn't unseal the will or the wizarding lineage, but she has a copy. Daphne it makes sense for you to know. But Gran had a few conditions for you, Harry, and Daphne I want you to accept them too."

"Of course," Harry said, and Daphne followed with a similar agreement.

"1: You cannot tell your grandmother who told you. 2: You cannot openly name her as your grandmother, not now. Your mother was born out of wedlock, and in some messy circumstances. Your grandfather was a muggle, and was married when he impregnated your grandmother."

"But you said my mom was born out of wedlock," Harry started, and then his eyes widened.

"Exactly. Apparently, they had only been on a few dates and were madly in love but when your grandmother told him, expecting him to be happy and ask to marry her she was met with rejection. The muggle man married someone else. She wanted to raise your mother on her own, but her parents convinced her to give the child up and never look up who the child was. Of course, these are only the rumors Gram could dig up. The facts are limited."

"The third condition is just for you, Harry." Neville said, a smirk on his face. "If I tell you who your grandmother is, you have to tell her and go hug her as fast as humanly possible. Don't take no for an answer."

"Of course," Harry agreed. "But I assume I would need to wait until Christmas break to do that."

"You agree to all the conditions?" Neville asked.

"Of course. One problem," Harry said, realizing something. "If my grandmother doesn't know she was the mother of my mom, why would she believe me?"

"Trust me," Neville said. "You won't need to wait until summer, and your grandmother is an exceptionally smart witch. She will put it together. The hat was on her head for a really long time, and people are still surprised that she was put in Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw." Harry gave Neville a puzzled look, and then heard a small shriek from Daphne.

"Neville, you can't be serious!" Daphne was almost frantic. "There is no way!"

"It's in Harry's official magical family tree."

"Can one of you please stop dancing around the subject and tell me?" Harry knew he was radiating anger and frustration, but Daphne and Neville seemed unbothered. Daphne's surprise was turning to happiness, and Neville was figuratively hoping from foot to foot in anticipation.

"I think Daphne figured it out, so I'll let her take a guess."

"Harry," Daphne said, a huge smile on her face, "the only reason you wouldn't need to wait until summer, I think, is because they are a professor here. There is only one professor here who was a Gryffindor and her husband passed away before they had children. Once I knew all that, it was easy. Harry, your grandmother, the woman who can claim possession of you, become your magical guardian, and rescue you from the Dursleys in one fell swoop is none other than Professor McGonagall."

Harry laughed a little, 100% convinced that Daphne was pulling his leg. Neville said nothing to correct her, and Harry turned to Neville and saw him nodding in agreement, and Harry felt clouded with doubt, and for the first time since meeting Sirius in the Shrieking Shack, Harry was totally and completely blindsided. He sunk to the floor in literal shock, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Neville and Daphne share a concerned glance.

"Harry, I thought you would be happy-" Neville started.

"You are serious?" Harry said, cutting Neville off.

"Absolutely," Neville said.

"Well then," Harry said, rising to his feet favoring both Neville and Daphne with a huge and genuine smile filled with complete glee, one he had given very few times in his life, "I guess we will have to call this session short. Neville, Daphne, I can't thank you guys enough for giving me my family back." Harry walked briskly to the door of the classroom.

"Where are you going, Harry?" Daphne asked.

"I promised to go hug my grandmother," Harry called over his shoulder, and then with a burst of speed started to race down the corridor towards the assistant headmaster's office. As he neared the office, he slowed, and then raced past it. He couldn't do this alone. It was hard enough for him to believe it himself. It took a few minutes, and then he was in front of Akira's door knocking frantically.

"Harry, you look insane," Akira said, issuing Harry into his room. Akira's room was fairly big, and there was a door leading to the washroom and another to the bed room. In the front room there were 4 2nd years Harry didn't know, all brewing portions. "What's up?"

"I need you to come with me," Harry whispered, "as my brother. Neville found out who my mom's wizarding parent was. Apparently, Sirius figured it out too, before he had to flee. I assume that he passed it on to someone who presented all the info to Fudge and Fudge had to recognize my position. The news filtered to a decent chunk of the wizarding world but not a lot of the students since it was a political announcement and not in the paper."

"Woah," Akira said, his mouth open. "Can it wait 5 minutes? I am almost done with helping these four."

"Ok," Harry said, and sat on Akira's couch, almost shaking in excitement. He didn't notice anything until Harry felt a touch on his shoulder.

"This must be big news," Akira said as he threw on his robe. "I've been calling your name for a minute." Harry nodded, almost incapable of speech. "I have to say, when I asked to be your brother this summer I certainly didn't expect to meet someone who truly shared your blood.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

August, 1994

"Harry, a moment?" Hayashi Sensei asked as the muggle students were heading out the door on their way home. Normally he would be heading to technique training with Nambung Sa Bum, but he saw the taekwondo master was in the room with his karate master so Harry stepped into the side room, giving a slight bow as he entered.

"Harry, we have been discussing the situation you will be in once Nambung and I return to Asia for the rest of the year. There is concern that without concrete evidence of your ties to us, it might be hard to intervene if the situation in Britain continues to show signs of instability."

"As government officials, we have restrictions on how we can act in other countries," Nambung explained. "As an official in the Foreign Affairs of Korea office, I am limited in many countries outside of Asia in regards to my fighting capacity. Without a special dispensation from my government or the Asian governing body, I cannot use magic."

"While I already have that dispensation from the Asian version of your European International Confederation of Wizards to use magic worldwide, any action I took in England would lead to problems. As you may remember, I recently took the position of Head of Magical Martial Arts instruction in Asia, and that means I represent the combined forces in Asia. If I was to engage in battle, it could be perceived that I was representing my governing body's interest, and that could drag a continent into a war," Hayashi-Sensei explained.

"However, we have no intention of leaving you defenseless," Nambung continued. "There is a way that any student of the Hayashi school can get involved in your protection." Nambung turned to the door and waved Akira in, who sat next to Harry, a tentative smile on his face. "Akira will explain."

"Harry, I really have enjoyed being your roommate for the past 2 months, and I hope you feel as I do that we have grown close." Harry nodded in agreement. "Well, my father and I have discussed this, and he will, if you consent, bind us as brothers in blood."

"Wait, what?" Harry said, instantly confused and a little nervous.

"It's a pretty simple ceremony," Hayashi-Sensei said. "After the ceremony, Akira will be real family to you. I couldn't take you as your son, and neither can Nambung. The best solution is that Akira become your brother. The fact that my son has agreed to this is a very serious statement, Harry. Akira can do whatever he likes in England if it determined to be beneficial to this. You will be expected to lay your lives on the line to protect each other."

"Harry, I would want this no matter what," Akira told Harry. "I care about you, and I don't want you to be hurt. If you are in danger, there is nowhere I'd rather be than at your side."

"Akira!" Harry protested. "I have to be able to protect myself! I can't just rely on you to protect me."

"How about you think about it as backup then?" Harry had to laugh at that.

"You are sure?" Harry asked. Akira nodded and took out a knife. "Uh, what's the knife for?"

"Brothers in blood," Akira said, opening a gash on his arm. "Just a small gash, Harry," Akira said as he handed the knife over. Harry looked at the knife covered in Akira's blood and with no hesitation opened a similar gash on his arm. Akira extended his arm and Harry put his arm out, the two cuts overlapping. Hayashi-Sensei was chanting, and the words reached a climax as the two arms touched.

"I stand as a witness to this ceremony," Nambung said as Harry and Akira both stood, their arms still touching. "Akira Hayashi, is this man someone you recognize as a brother in blood?"

"Yes," Akira said, and Harry felt a small tear drip down his cheek at the open admission of affection, as well as the understanding of what Akira was willing to do for him

"I stand as a witness to this ceremony," Nambung said again. "Harry Potter, is this man someone you recognize as a brother in blood?"

"Absolutely." Harry felt a surge in his magic, and then Hayashi-Sensei pointed his wand at the arms. Harry felt enveloped by something dark and dangerous, and then he felt Akira begin to fight it. Harry threw his magic together with Akira, and after what seemed like an eternity, the darkness receded and both Harry and Akira leaned over exhausted. Harry actually had to sit down he was so tired. After a moment, Akira hauled Harry to his feet and hugged him.

"I stand as a witness to this ceremony," Nambung said. "Witness now Akira Hayashi and Harry Potter are brothers in blood." Akira's arms tightened around Harry as Harry hugged his new brother.

"Harry, thank you," Akira said as they disengaged from the hug. "But I'm afraid we were not entirely honest with you." Harry cocked an eyebrow at the statement. "There is a little more protection from this than just my support."

"Harry, if Akira is your brother, that makes you my nephew," Hayashi-Sensei said, and Harry's eyes widened. "That means that Takashi Hayashi and any students of his school may come to your defense. What's more, as a senior member of the Asian Ministry of Magic, I can grant magical provisions for other members of Asia on foreign continents."

"I might come along occasionally," Nambung said, throwing an arm over Harry's shoulder. Harry teared up and saw a tiny glint of amusement in the eye of his taekwondo instructor, but Nambung Sa Bum instantly quelled the emotion "Now is no time to get emotional. Just because you have a brother and you are exhausted doesn't mean you get out of training."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." And then Nambung proceeded to wipe the floor with him for two hours as if nothing had changed. But for Harry, everything had changed.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

October, 1994

"How sure are you?" Akira asked as they stood outside the door of the Deputy Headmistress.

"Well, Neville and Daphne confirmed it, so pretty sure," Harry told his brother. "As sure as you are my brother." Akira put an arm on Harry's shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"You have good friends." Harry felt a surge of warmth for his new friends, who had done everything in their power to find him a guardian and had potentially found him something Harry had desperately wanted. It had started with Akira and his kindness, the strict but fair teaching of Hayashi Sensei, and the reluctant affection with Nambung Sa Bum. Harry would give anything to have a family, and if it was true… "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I don't know." Harry felt almost paralyzed as he stared at the door.

"Time for some of that famous Gryffindor courage," Akira said mildly. Harry nodded, steeled himself and then knocked on the door. It took a few seconds, but the door opened and Professor McGonagall looked at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Harry?" She then saw Akira standing behind him "Professor Hayashi? What is this about?"

"Professor, would it be ok if we stepped into your office?" Professor McGonagall nodded in response to Harry's request and all three of them stepped into her office. McGonagall stood watching as Akira closed the door behind him. "Professor, you might want to sit down," Harry suggested. McGonagall's eyes narrowed but she sat.

"Harry," Akira said, tapping his shoulder. Harry looked at Akira. "I'll put up some silencing charms to make sure no one hears," Akira said in Japanese.

"Good idea. Thanks," Harry replied in Japanese. Akira took out his wand and cast a few spells.

"All good," Akira said, switching back to English for the benefit of McGonagall.

"Professor, you know that I respect you as an instructor and mentor," Harry started. "But I think we may be closer than that."

"Harry, I can't say I know what you mean."

"Professor, you had a child out of wedlock born in January of 1960, didn't you?" McGonagall stiffened in surprise and Harry felt a glimmer of hope, that the impossibility what Neville had told him and Daphne had confirmed was real."

"How in the world could you know that?"

"Neville Longbottom and Daphne Greengrass know as well." Harry saw McGonagall start to rise from her seat in horror. "Neither of them has any intention of telling. That's actually why I'm here. Because of who that child is, and what became of her. You gave her up for adoption, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," McGonagall said. She looked terribly haggard and sad at the mention of it. "I always wondered, but my parents sealed the record. "I was 24 and foolishly in love, and I had the girl at 25. I had no husband and I wanted to have a career. My parents and I fought about it, saying there was no way I could have both. So I gave the girl up. It is my greatest regret."

"Well, you actually met that girl when she was a child. With your blood flowing through her, she got a letter at age 11 and came to Hogwarts. She was actually placed in Gryffindor, and you knew her quite well."

"How could you know this?" Professor McGonagall asked, her face growing white, and Harry suspected she already knew how Harry had acquired this information.

"Well, I was looking for who my magical guardian was," Harry explained. "Along the way, Augusta Longbottom came upon a sealed copy of my magical family tree. Since I was able to gain the title of Lord, it was impossible my mom could be muggle-born. That bothered Neville's gran, so she was, with considerable effort, able to get someone at the ministry to unseal it." McGonagall rose, a tear in her eye. "Hello, Grandmother."

"Impossible," Professor McGonagall said, walking around her desk. Akira, still holding his wand, muttered a quiet spell, and there was a light blue aura around her and Harry. "Professor Hayashi, what is this?" McGonagall said, her eyes still on Harry.

"A simple test," Akira explained. "People of the same bloodline have traces of magic that appear in the next generation. You are two generations removed so the trace is faint, but the color confirms it. Harry shares your blood."

"Professor," Harry said, talking a step forward, "it's-" Harry was smashed back as McGonagall threw her arms around him a vicelike hug. She was sobbing, and Harry started crying as well, unbelievably happy.

"My grandson!" McGonagall managed to get out through sobs. "I never dared to think I might one day meet my grandson!" She hugged Harry even tighter. "For my grandson to be someone as noble and brave as you!"

"Grandma!" Harry was ecstatic as they sank to the ground, tears streaming down their face, arms wrapped around each other. "Professor, I-"

"Never call me Professor again," McGonagall told him, her eyes boring into his with intensity. "James called me Minnie, so maybe he knew. Harry, please if you could call me Minnie I would…" She choked back another sob.

"Of course, Grandma Minnie," Harry said, and a huge smile broke out across his Grandma's face. McGonagall hugged Harry again. The hug was tight, but it felt like the best hug Harry had ever received.

"Even if you weren't my grandson! I am so proud of you, for the man you have become. I know it must have taken courage to come and tell me, but thank you, Harry."

"Of course, Grandma Minnie," Harry told her, helping her to her feet.

"Harry, as much as I want to announce this to the entire world, that might create problems," Minnie, as Harry now thought of her, told him. "Don't think for a moment that I am not thrilled to be your grandmother, but this is extremely complicated."

"Neville filled me in," Harry told her. "I have no problem keeping this a secret, although Hermione deserves to know as well. She isn't the best at keeping secrets, but I think she can keep this one. She will be happy for both of us, I think." His grandmother nodded in agreement.

"And Neville and Daphne?"

"Neville I would trust with my life."

"He is a wonderful friend," Minnie told him. "While your division from Mr. Weasley made me sad, I am thrilled that you became such good friends with Neville. His classwork has made a marked improvement this year. What about Ms. Greengrass?"

"She wants something from me. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but she knows how to keep a secret. Daphne is smart, and she knows that she wouldn't be able to prove it and that she would make an enemy out of me and all my friends. I think something is going on in Slytherin that is making her nervous, which is why she is making a concerted effort to find friends outside her house." Harry reached out for Minnie's hand unconsciously seeking out her comfort and Minnie took it, barely noticing. "I wouldn't trust her, but for the moment it is in her best interest to keep this a secret."

"That's good," Grandma Minnie said. "I know you would love to talk to Hermione about this, but I was hoping, given the fact I just learned-"

"I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of the day catching up with you," Harry said. Akira waved his wand, and a chair appeared right next to the chair McGonagall had been sitting in behind her desk when Harry had entered her office. It had felt like a lifetime ago, and in some way it was. Harry's life had changed so irreparably for the better in the last 5 minutes that it was honestly like he was living a new life."

"Professor Hayashi, I have to thank you," Minnie told him. "Without your intervention, I never would have believed it. Now, I can't imagine how I missed it. It is wonderful to know that my daughter turned out to be one of the greatest women I ever had the privilege to know. Besides," she said, guiding Harry to the new chair and sitting down across from him, "you have my eternal gratitude for helping to give me my grandson."

"You are more than welcome," Akira said. "I'll take the silencing charms down, but you might want to put up your own. Like you said, this is big news, and I think we would all agree that the summer might be the best time to make it public." Minnie agreed and laid up her own silencing and privacy charms as soon as Akira took his down. "Harry, I think that since she is family, I can release you from your promises to not tell your teachers about the summer."

"Yes, Harry, I do think you owe me an explanation from this summer," Minnie said, turning and looking at Harry. They sat across from each other and his grandmother took his hands. Harry barely noticed that Akira had left the office, closing the door behind him.

"Where to begin?" Harry wondered aloud. "Well, it all started when I got to King's Cross Station.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Are you surprised? Now, most of the time I think I am A) Decently original or B) Confident enough in my story that flames don't bother me all that much. I won't defend something that I think takes a lot from the original, but takes a hard right turn. However, when I wrote chapter 15, I was unaware that McGonagall being related to him was not uncommon. That being said, I will defend this position because she is one of the characters that I wanted to spend a lot of time with, and this seemed like a 3 stones - one professor situation. Bleh, sorry for that turn a phrase.**

**In the immortal words of the legendary John Cleese "Now for something completely different." **

Chapter 16: New Facts and Faces

October, 1994

"Harry, I just can't believe it," Hermione whispered to him as they sat on the couch late Friday night. "It sounds ridiculous."

"Ridiculous or not, it's true," Neville said for the fourth time in as many minutes. The common room was entirely empty as it was past midnight, but that didn't keep them from whispering. "Hermione, do you know what a magical family tree is?"

"Neville, of course I do!" Hermione snapped, her voice rising above a whisper for the first time in half an hour. "It is a magical tree kept in the ministry keeping track of pureblood families to make sure the genealogies are trackable."

"My grandma got a copy of Harry's. The ministry keeps track of all magical births. There is no doubt in my mind that Harry's mom was McGonagall's child. She is on Harry's family tree. No wonder it was sealed."

"Hermione, I don't know why you want to take this away from me." Harry gave her a bit of a glare. "She is my family, someone who cares for me no matter what. Why is that a bad thing?"

"It's not a bad thing, not at all," Hermione clarified, "it's just a lot for me to wrap my head around. If it was someone else, I would think they might have ulterior motives. But it's Professor McGonagall, so if she agrees to it, then I guess it must be true." She shook her head slowly and Harry realized that his best friend was finally coming to terms with the weirdest thing in Harry's life, and that was saying something.

"It was surreal to me to," Harry admitted. "She lets me call her Grandma Minnie," he said, and Hermione snorted in disbelief.

"That's adorable," Neville told him. "How was your day with her?"

"It was amazing," Harry said, a huge smile flowing across his face, a facial expression he could not keep of his face flowing across his face. "She was a great professor, head of house, and deputy headmaster. She is an even better grandmother. She told me she loves me, Hermione. Even if I hadn't been her grandson. She meant it too."

"That's great, Harry!" Hermione told him.

"Do you know it was the first time anyone had ever said they loved me?" Harry's eyes were filled with tears again, but this time he managed to keep them contained. "It was amazing. To have someone in your life who loves you unconditionally," Harry's eyes took on a far-away look, "it really makes me wonder about my parents, and what life would have been like if they had never been targeted. I almost never think about it, but Grandma Minnie and I talked about it for hours. Whether or not Mom and Dad knew, or what it might mean. We talked about anything and everything."

"Like what?"

"Like how my relatives treated me," Harry said. He looked around furtively, making sure that no one was around. "About what all of this is," Harry said, slowly taking off his shirt. Hermione squeaked and turned around, but Neville stared at Harry's chest, the scars telling a different story than the foolish books about his perfect upbringing.

"Jesus, Harry," Neville said with a sharp intake of breath. "I thought your summer was amazing. I didn't know Professor Hayashi was capable of shit like this."

"I didn't get any of these this summer," Harry explained, putting his shirt back on. "I got them at the Dursleys." He smiled with no real humor in the smile, the plastered smile Harry had perfected over the years, the smile that said he was fine to all but his good friends. "I think I got the first one when I was 4 and I was late cooking breakfast for my uncle."

"Harry, can I turn around now?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, if you are Harry's best friend, you need to see them," Neville told her.

"See what?"

"Neville, it's fine," Harry told him. "I wasn't thinking clearly. This is something Hermione has to choose on her own."

"It's covered in scars, isn't it?" Hermione asked turning back to him. Harry nodded. "I'm sorry Harry, I should be able to look. Just not tonight…"

"Don't push yourself, Hermione. When it's the right time, it will come naturally," Harry said. "While the subject change is a little abrupt, Minnie told me that the other schools are coming tomorrow. They will light the goblet and the names will be released from the goblet on Halloween."

"I assume you will skip the ceremony of the names then?" Hermione asked. "I know you didn't go to the feast last year."

"I don't know," Harry admitted. The news with Sirius last year, before he had actually met his godfather had brought up memories that Harry was keen to leave behind him. Memories a one-year old should be able to forget, but an image that haunted Harry's dreams nonetheless. So he had skipped the traditional holiday feast to be alone with his thoughts. He had wandered the castle aimlessly, eventually ending up in the room with the trapdoor that had been the focus of his first year.

Harry often found himself in this room when his life began to weight too much. It reminded him of the courage that Dumbledore had rewarded him for in his first year, the courage that even the greatest wizard of the era had found worthy. It made Harry feel better, even for a moment. No one knew he went there often, not even Hermione. It was a secret place just for him, a place where Harry could just be Harry, something that no one could give him completely. A curse in more than one way.

Eventually, last year, he gone back to the common room and avoided questions as he headed to bed. Harry knew that this year, Halloween would be more than just a feast, even if it had incredibly bad history behind it for him. It would be a real chance to welcome the students of the other schools, as well as a chance to see who the champions for the Tri-Wizard tournament were. Harry knew he would want to stay away to have some time to himself, but his curiosity might drive him to the hall for the festivities anyways. Harry decided that he would not make the decision until he had too.

He suspected if he did not go, his real friends, the group of people he now spent almost every school night with would understand. As Harry went over the list in his mind, he was surprised to realize that along with Hermione and Neville, he included Susan, Hannah, Daphne and Dean. Even more surprising was the realization that Lavender, someone he had considered an insufferable gossip the first three years of school, would probably understand and support him as well.

"It's been a long day," Neville said with an exaggerated yawn. "I'm going to head to bed." He gave Harry a pointed look, and Harry realized that Neville was intentionally giving him time to talk to Hermione. Harry realized that Neville had probably figured out that Harry was hiding something about his day with his grandmother, and even though they were closer Harry would only share it with his best friend.

"Good night Neville," Hermione called after him as he headed up the stairs. "That was nice of him." Harry nodded. "So what horrible secret did Professor McGonagall reveal to you that you can't tell Neville?"

"Hermione, she told me who the person who named me Lord Potter was, the only other person who knows she is my grandmother. It is extremely complicated, because the person who did it apparently looked into the family tree at the request of Sirius. Sirius doesn't know, but he must have suspected something to make such a dangerous request." Harry took a deep breath. "Hermione, he sent the request to Susan's aunt, Amelia Bones. She is the head of the DMLE."

"And she didn't try to track the letter and have Sirius kissed?" Hermione asked.

"Apparently not," Harry said. "It had Minnie as confused as I was. If there is any doubt about Sirius's guilt, Minnie thinks that she would not rest until she had the truth. Minnie, as well as Akira both have enormous respect for Amelia Bones as a witch and a law enforcement official."

"Harry, could you please call them Professor when you are talking to me?" Hermione requested. "I know you are close with them, especially Professor Hayashi, but it just sets my teeth on edge when you refer to them with such familiarity.

"For you Hermione, of course." Harry gave her a faint smile. It seemed like, at times, Hermione would always have that iron-clad belief that all teacher deserved the proper respect. Harry agreed with her in principle. Respect had been drilled into him this summer. But Hayashi-Sensei had earned his respect, and his teacher over the summer had taught Harry that true respect beyond lip service must be earned. Most of his teachers sadly had not earned it and those that had earned it were family. Minne and Akira were his favorite teachers and deserved the most respect but had ironically earned informality.

"I think Neville had the right idea," Hermione said, rising from the couch. "Can we continue this tomorrow?"

"Probably, but only in the morning," Harry told her. "Akira told me yesterday that the students from the other schools are coming in the afternoon, and that the goblet will be lit in the evening."

"Harry, I read all about Beauxbatons and Durmstrang in some books about magic in Europe when Dumbledore announced the tournament!"

"Go to bed, Hermione," Harry said with a patient smile. "I just wanted to let you know I'm going to talk to Susan tomorrow and see if I can't figure out what is going on. If Sirius can return to England, I have him up here tomorrow to introduce him to everyone as my godfather. What's more, I could out from under the Dursley's thumb without Minne, sorry, Professor McGonagall having to do anything."

"Good idea Harry," Hermione told him, and then couldn't stop herself from heaving a big yawn.

"Good night, Hermione," Harry said as he went up to bed. Even Neville was asleep as Harry disrobed and began his nightly workout. He was careful to be quiet, but as he finished his pullups, he heard a soft sound behind him. He dropped off the bar and turned to see Ron sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at Harry. They both looked at each other for a minute in silence.

"So, I see you with Neville a lot," Ron said quietly.

"You see me with Hermione a lot too," Harry said, and although his voice was quiet he couldn't keep the venom out of his statement. "That must be quite a problem for you."

"You know, at first I thought it would be," Ron told him. "I thought now that you were best friends, I would not have to deal with her. Turns out I was right and wrong." Harry cocked his head at Ron, unsure of what Ron was saying. "I was right that she would leave me alone. I was wrong in thinking it was what I wanted. She has always been mental, you know that?"

"Ron, I'm not sure where you are going with this, so tread lightly," Harry told him. "If this discussion is going to go longer, I suggest we move to the common room."

"Well, I'm just saying all the badgering and annoying, I miss it," Ron said.

"Yeah, well as annoying as it is, she is the best friend anyone could hope for."

"You aren't mad at me, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Of course I am, Ron," Harry explained. "And I don't think that we can just brush the way you have been acting as water under the bridge. But that doesn't mean we aren't friends. I've heard wonderful things about some of the girls coming from France, and as much as I hope I don't start drooling Hermione and Neville are not the type of people to talk with that stuff about." Ron gave Harry a half-hearted smile.

"Sounds good," Ron said and Harry nodded and began his nightly set of sit-ups, totally content for the first time in months. Maybe this school year would be perfect after all, especially if he didn't lose the friendship of Ron. Ron could be an annoying git and often was not the nicest to Hermione, but when Ron was next to Harry, Harry was simply a different person. It was as if two of Gryffindor's truest sons drew their courage from each other in a way he couldn't from anyone else.

Akira had finally given Harry a day off on account of the emotional outburst from realizing who his grandmother was. Harry knew the students from the other schools were coming in between lunch and dinner, and while he had professed an intention to ogle the guests as an olive branch to Ron and not a real offer, the appearance of the new students gave him an opportunity to do something entirely different.

"When I got your note, I was certainly surprised," Susan said, stepping into the Owlery on Saturday afternoon. "What is so important that we will miss the appearance of the new students? I can't say what I am more curious about."

"It's a sensitive topic," Harry said, "and it isn't a coincidence that I matched the time of this chat with their arrival. I cast a silencing charm, but there might be a way to penetrate it and I wanted to minimize the chance of us being overheard."

"So you are willing to trust me now?" Harry was a bit confused at that statement. "You don't remember our question game?"

"Of course I do," Harry said, realizing what Susan was referring to. "Susan, I hope you don't see that as me not trusting you." He motioned to a seat next to him and Susan sat. "I was having too much fun to take it seriously. I'll make you a deal. Let's play the game again. Except for every 5 questions you ask, I'll ask one."

"No games, Harry!" Susan said, her eyes blazing fiercely. She took the roll of parchment Harry had sent on Hedwig earlier this morning and read from it the message Harry had sent. "Susan. A matter of urgent importance has come up. Please meet me at 1:00pm in the Owlery. Harry." She ripped the parchment into little pieces in anger. "What is so urgently important?"

"You said your mother, and I assume your father is dead?" Susan nodded, instantly defenseless. "I won't give you some pointless apology, or stupid pity. I didn't say that to bring back bad memories. Trust me when I just wanted to confirm something, and I wanted it from your mouth. I swear I will never bring it up again."

"Thank you," Susan said, the relief clear as it spread across her entire body as muscles unclenched.

"Susan, you forget I am one of the few people in the school who can empathize," Harry said. Susan nodded slowly as she realized what Harry was saying. "Tomorrow is one of the best days for everyone in the magical world… except me."

"That's true," Susan said thoughtfully. "While they are technically alive, I guess Neville could join us and we could be the three kids who don't have parents. What a sad club that would be."

"You know about the Longbottoms?"

"Yeah, Hannah told me," Susan said. "I can't believe what Neville had to go through. It is really remarkable. It would have broken many other kids. At the least, they would not have had his bravery."

"How does Hannah know?" Harry asked. "No one has ever mentioned it, and I thought I was the only person to know. I only learned over the summer."

"Well, Hannah wasn't technically supposed to tell anyone…" Susan said with a bit of a grimace. "But she has a bit of a gossip problem, and she needed to tell someone. I told her to tell me so that it stayed a secret. Granted I didn't know what she would be telling me, but now I am even happier. If this got out, it would break Neville, not to mention Hannah."

"Neville told Hannah?"

"Yeah. Turns out they have been studying together pretty often, even if we aren't around."

"Yeah, but that isn't something you tell someone you are falling for," Harry said.

"Falling for?" Susan said, her eyebrows raised. "They are 14."

"You know Neville. Do you think he is looking for a quick snog? That story is not exactly romantic," Harry countered. "Still, that is a weird thing to share, regardless of why he did it."

"Hannah says they have been sharing everything. Honestly, she is a little upset Neville hasn't tried to kiss her yet. You boys seem to be more than ready to fight each other even if would result in serious injury, but if a girl puts her hand on your shoulder, you freak out."

"We are getting majorly off topic." Harry wrenched his mind away from Neville and Hannah's blossoming relationship, even if a small part of him wanted to know everything, since Susan and Hannah clearly didn't keep secrets from each other. "You said your aunt was head of the DMLE when we played the question game earlier this year?

"You remembered?"

"Of course. You shared some pretty important stuff with me. What kind of jerk would I be if I didn't remember?" Susan nodded, but there was a weird look in her eyes, something that made Harry nervous although he had no idea why. "From what I understand, she was the one who presented Minister Fudge with proof that I was a pureblood and he named me a Lord."

"She mentioned she was investigating a strange case over Christmas when I visited her," Susan told Harry. "In fact, it involved you. Harry, it was the Sirius Black case. She was in charge of hunting him down. Strange, she talks about work with me, but she didn't say a thing about him over the summer since I assume she was still on the case. Not that she shares anything confidential, but still, it's odd that she would move off a case of that importance."

"Well, that actually explains a lot," Harry said. "I don't get exactly when she presented Fudge with the proof or what she knows, but a lot makes sense."

"Well, it doesn't to me!" Susan snapped.

"You said I didn't trust you," Harry said, choosing his words carefully. "How about I prove you wrong? Only one person knows the entire story I am about to tell you. Ron knows most of it, and Neville knows a little, but in about 20 minutes it will be you, me and Hermione. To be entirely honest, I do have an ulterior motive. I hope you can figure out what your aunt knows, but I'll trust you."

Over the next 20 minutes Harry explained the history of Sirius Black. He started with the night his parents died, and then all about Peter Pettigrew. He then fast-forwarded to the escape from Azkaban and all the encounters with the black dog last year, ending with the incident in the Shrieking shack. He ended with the time turner and the dementors. Although he told her about his Patronus, he kept the shape and identity of Prongs a secret. But he did reveal Professor's Lupin status as a werewolf. Harry considered hiding that, but if Susan ever found out he knew she would likely never trust him again, even if she would understand why Harry hid it.

"Wow," Susan said. She had stayed quiet through the entire story. "When you said 20 minutes, I was expecting to be done in 5. That must have taken half an hour. But that is quite a tale. You think my aunt knows Sirius is innocent?"

"I have heard nothing but incredibly complementary things about your aunt, both as a person and as an investigator. If she found the discrepancies in Sirius's case, she would have eventually gotten to the bottom of it. That's the only reason she would not have tried to chase him down after getting his letter."

"I assume there is a reason you can't tell me who your mom's magical parent is?" Susan said, shrewdly looking at him.

"Yeah, sorry," Harry told him.

"Hey, I'm not complaining. Everyone has some secrets. I'm not your Hermione, nor would I want to be. She will be your best friend for the next few years, at least."

"I don't love what you are implying," Harry said, holding back an angry growl.

"Oh, you misunderstand," Susan said, her eyes horrified. "I did not mean to say she wouldn't be a great friend to you the rest of your life. But you don't have a marriage contract, so someday the person you marry will probably be your best friend. I have to say that until this year I was sure it would be Hermione."

"You don't think she is my best friend?" Harry asked.

"No, she is. It's kind of remarkable that you became good friends and have stayed good friends at the age most boys and girls can barely look each other in the eyes. It's probably why you can talk to me, Lavender, and Hannah while looking at our eyes instead of our chest." Harry couldn't keep the blush off his face. "Oh, so even the noble Harry Potter notices!"

"Stop it," Harry told Susan, "Or I'll take off my robe."

"I dare you too," Susan said, and Harry shrugged, and then yanked off his robe. "God, Harry!"

"I have clothes on underneath," Harry said to Susan, who had turned around. "I've just been told my muscles would be fairly attractive to girls. Susan shook her head but turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of Harry's arms in a short sleeve t-shirt."

"Whoever told you that was not wrong," Susan said. Harry grinned as he put his robe back on.

"So even the prude Susan Bones notices!" Susan grinned at him as he sat down next to her again. "Can you will figure out what your aunt knows?"

"I'll get it out of her. She won't say no to me, not if I say it's important," Susan said.

"You can boss the head of the DMLE around?"

"Obviously not," Susan said, "the head of the DMLE is quite imposing. My aunt is another matter entirely. If you talk to her you should address her in her more formal role until you know each other better. At the very least it will be good to figure out if she is the one who got you your new position." Susan rolled her shoulders as she stood up. "I assume Neville told you all about pureblood and rules for Lords and Ladies."

"Barely," Harry said. "It's a hard subject for Neville, for obvious reasons."

"Did Hermione find it in a book?"

"No, I just have a new friend, one who doesn't want to be associated with the whole group yet. In fact, I recently gained an entire new group of people I talk to, and while that is not why we became friends, I'll include her since you know at least some of the others." Harry walked over to the door and opened it. "You obviously know Cedric and his friend Jason. I assume you also know my quidditch captain Angelina and Cho Chang."

"Odd group," Susan commented as they paused outside the room.

"This new friend last one has been my friend all year, although she would never admit it," Harry says. "At the moment, she is my date for the Yule Ball." Susan's eyes widened. "Oh, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone else."

"That's not why I am so visibly surprised," Susan told him. "A girl asked you to the Yule Ball?"

"She left me an out, but recently she has been acting less and less like a friend," Harry admitted. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't like her as a friend. I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't curious about what it would be like if we were, well, more than friends. She is also in Slytherin, so wouldn't we set the world alight with horrible rumors?"

"You definitely would, but if the reason you go with her is because she is in Slytherin and you want to start rumors, that's horrible. No girl deserves that."

"Hey, it was her's idea," Harry told her. "And of course I wouldn't do that."

"Harry, what time is it?" Susan said, although she looked a little distracted and annoyed, although Harry couldn't be sure since he was not close friends with Susan, not yet.

"Almost 2:00," Harry said.

"Let's hurry down," Susan said. "We might still see the other students arrive!"

"You go," Harry told her. "I honestly couldn't care less about other schools or the Tri-Wizard tournament. I hope Cedric gets it."

"Me too," Susan said and then rushed off down the stairs.

"That went well, I think," Minnie said, ending her concealment spell.

"I thought so too," Harry said. "You think I made the right choice telling her?"

"Harry, I spent all night thinking about all the new friends you have made. It is entirely by coincidence, but your group of friends, if you blend the Patronus and study group will have remarkable power. Cedric's father and Susan's aunt are considered the two closest to replacing Fudge if he fell out of favor. The Greengrass family has considerable influence, as do the Abbotts. This doesn't even begin to discuss the power and influence that Augusta Longbottom has."

"Eventually, all this influence and power will go to your friends. In 10 years, this little group, these seemingly inconsequential meetings will have great ramifications. Of course, all of this forgets to mention your influence." Harry nodded slowly. "God knows I do not want to spend a lot of time in your past, or I guess it is now our past. But as much as you hate The-Boy-Who-Lived personality everyone has put on you, it comes with a great amount of power."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said. "If only Voldemort was gone for good." His grandmother flinched as he said the name. "Not you too, Grandma! It's just a name. If people are afraid of his name, how can they hope to stand up to the man!"

"I'll try, but it's an involuntary response for so many in England. But you make a good point," Minnie said. "You are right. Especially after the death eater attack at the world cup. Right now, a public statement could go a long way to swaying opinion in Britain. I would urge you not to do anything at the moment to unsettle the British Political System, but if you want to do something, I would be happy to help."

"This year, I'd just like to focus on getting an O on transfiguration," Harry said, giving his grandma's offered hand a squeeze. She smiled back at him.

"We better be close behind your friend," Minnie said. "Our absence will be noticed by more than a few. You go ahead of me." Harry noticed and raced down the stairs. Eventually he reached the front gate, where all the students were arranged by house.

"Harry!" Ron called and Harry managed to make his way through the crowd. He saw Hermione standing next to Ron with a huge smile on his face and Harry casually shoulder bumped Ron.

"You made up?" Hermione whispered to him.

"It's a start," Harry told her. "We'll see." She nodded, and then Harry heard a collective gasp. Everyone was staring at the sky as a distinct shape began to form. There must have been a dozen horses soaring through the sky, pulling a large house behind them.

"Pegasus," Ron said in amazement. Hermione hit him on the shoulder

"Don't be an idiot, Ron. Those are Abraxan, flying horses. They are supposed to be incredibly temperamental. It's amazing that someone could get them to work in concert to fly a carriage." Harry realized that Hermione was right, and what he had initially seen as a large house was indeed a carriage.

"Cool," Harry said as the carriage came to a rest. Then he heard more shouts of amazement as the lake began to bubble. "I really hope that is not the giant squid." Then a giant ship exploded from the lake and the students began to cheer. A large woman, almost the size of Hagrid exited from the carriage, and a bulky man jumped from the ship to land. Most of the students were staring at the massive woman, but Harry's eyes were glued on the man striding away from the lake.

His strides were measured and his hand relaxed at his side. But there was something in the man's eyes and the way his entire body was loose. He also had a build that Harry had seen multiple times over the summer. This man was a wizard, there was no doubt of that. But this new man was a martial artist as well, and Harry felt a small smile curl over his face. Nambung had said any real martial artists relished a challenge, and while Harry was not eager to challenge the headmaster of another school, maybe there would students with him. Who knew, this might not be a huge waste of time after all?


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Happy holidays if you are reading this in real time! In other news, I will not be posting for the next two weeks for the holidays. As a special present I will be doing another Double update today. I know, I am so amazing. I expect to return with chapter 19 on January 6th or close to that, and then return to Monday-Friday posts, with a potential of adding in a Wednesday post. I want to add very special shout out to users mwinter1 and jkarr, who have reviewed almost every chapter. Thank you guys so much for the encouragement, but thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and reviewed as well! I'm so thrilled that this weird idea that percolated in my head for a few years has gotten such a good reaction!**

**I also posted a special short one shot, something totally different but an idea that I kicked around for a while and thought would be a nice holiday bonus (even though it has close to nothing to do with the holidays). It's called the "The Third Bro On Shot," on my page.**

**Final point: Well, I am here sooner than expected. The setup is now done, and with it the entirely singular POV. This Chapter will have 4 specific POV, and then expect a little more "into everyone's heads." 5 house points if you can guess the 4 POV.**

Chapter 17: Now Featuring

October, 1994

"The Durmstrang champion is Victor Krum!"

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

Stupidity. Total Stupidity. This school is stupid, the journey was stupid, this country was stupid, his headmaster was stupid, his whole school was stupid. A dumb tournament resurrected for no real reason was equally stupid, and he was now forced into it. This was not how his last year in school was supposed to be.

Victor loved playing quidditch more than anything in the world. As a consequence of that, people tended to think he only had a snitch in his head. Anyone who looked at him like this instantly lost his respect, and those people were all too common. Victor was a star since being named to the national team at age 15, and that was all people wanted or expected from him.

His true friends he had made at school had drifted away as his quidditch skills became his defining feature to the world, and he was always surrounded by people who had ulterior motives that they did not hide all that well. It was exhausting, and Victor always found solace in the air where no one could catch him. But he could not live on his broom.

Eventually, Victor's second home became the library in Durmstrang. No one would think to look for the most famous quidditch seeker in the world in the library, and Victor wanted to have a life outside of quidditch. Everyone in the world expected him to become a professional quidditch player after he graduated, but Victor had been having seconds thoughts. One of his father's good friends had been an Auror for the Russia government, and over the past two years Victor had spent a lot of time with him, becoming more interested in the practical side of magic.

The interest in practical magic was a starting point and it inspired a studious side of Victor that he did not know he had. Day after day passed in the library, ignoring meals and classes, something that his headmaster let slide since Victor was his prize student and was able to keep up his studies and achieve Outstandings on almost all his O.W.L.s . At the same time, Victor found a subject he truly loved, languages.

He entered his final year fluent in 6 human languages to the point where he could speak German, French, Italian, Russian, English and of course Bulgarian with no accent. He struggled with non-romance languages but he figured he would have time after school to learn them. His 6th year he had turned to non-human language, and he had finished Giant and was now working on Gobbledegook, the language spoken by goblins. Since he could pick up languages easily, he had started looking into mermish as well.

Karakoff had tracked him down at the beginning of the year and told him that he was leading a contingent to Hogwarts for a stupid competition called the Tri-Wizard tournament, and Krum blew him off. It was only on the third time of asking that Karakoff mentioned that Hogwarts had a linguistics department in their library that would be perfect for his paper on diplomacy with other non-human magical races. Krum desperately needed more research to complete what he thought could be a paper that launched him into the academic world, so he agreed.

They had arrived and Krum had been subjected to more of the same, new people clambering around him with huge smiles plastered on their faces, all dressed in various shades of green. There was one boy so close to him Victor was physically ill. There were a few in green who interested him, including one boy near the end of the table who glared at him as if he was trying to burn a hole in Victor's chest. There a few more who could not be bothered to care about his presence, and for that Victor was thankful.

Nevertheless, Victor was forced to put his name into the goblet, despite his frustration and anger. As he had put his name in, he noticed a girl sitting by the goblet, book on her lap. He recognized her from the night before. Victor had been researching in the linguistics' section and she had been the only person in the library when he left. He gave her a small smile as he left the hall.

To his horror, he learned from his classmates that Karakoff had lied to him. The headmaster had told him that Krum was required to put his name into the goblet like all the other students. Instead, Krum had been the one of a few students allowed to enter. Even if he was going to participate in this absurdity, he would have preferred to win his entry into the tournament fairly.

Stupidity. Total Stupidity. Hogwarts was stupid. The ship was stupid. The U.K. was stupid, Karakoff was stupid, Durmstrang was stupid. A dumb tournament resurrected for no real reason was stupid, and he was now forced into it. This was not how his last year in school was supposed to be was all Krum could think as an involuntary scowl cross his face as he walked past the tournament organizer, Barty Crouch, towards the room the headmaster of Hogwarts had indicated.

Victor's anger simmered as he found a seat and waited. He was stuck in this stupid tournament, and he would be forced to compete to the best of his ability. Maybe if he won the tournament, Karakoff would leave him alone after he graduated. Perhaps he could pretend to be so focused on the tournament that boys would stop asking him for quidditch tips and girls would stop following him around asking for autographs.

In the end, despite his frustration and anger, Victor Krum was sure of one thing. He might be in a stupid tournament, but he would win it, simply to show everyone that there was more to the Bulgarian Wizard than quidditch. He settled in his seat, his eyes fixed on the door to see the next competitor.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

"The Beauxbatons champion is Fleur Delacour!"

Fleur rose as the girls around her burst into cheers. She was not the most popular girl at Beauxbatons, that was for sure but the girls were happy that a girl was chosen and not a boy. Most of the boys who had come were so sure that they would be chosen, and it was good for the entire female contingent from Beauxbatons to have the boys knocked down a peg.

The cheer cut off suddenly as the girls realized that the girl who had been chosen was Fleur, and a few girls were even crying. There had been instant elation for Fleur Delacour for a moment, thinking for a moment she had been accepted by her classmates. Then there was the silence that always accompanied her. No matter where she went and what she did, she always had one companion: silence.

The silence had started at age 10. Fleur had seen her friends continue to grow around her while she remained a little girl. It was the fate of a Veela to remain small while all around their friends continue to grow. Some friends stuck with her, but they were few and far between. Fleur heard two of her remaining friends discussing how foolish she looked, a 13 year old in a 10 year old body, and she lost any interest in maintaining friendships.

She shut all these voices out. If she could not look like a normal person, at least she could think like one. She buried herself in her studies, and she was the top of her class at Beauxbatons. At a young age she still competed with the top students in years above her. She devoured knowledge hungrily and soon she had the grudging admiration of her classmates.

At 15, Fleur had changed, as all Veela do. One day she was a little girl, and the next day when she awoke no one would mistake her for a little girl. Madame Maxime had called her parents in a panic. Apolline and Laurent Delacour had appeared within hours. Laurent had gone to speak to the headmistress, and Apolline had explained to Fleur the transformation she had always heard off and what would happen now.

Fleur was so happy to look like a real woman that she barely heard her mother talk about the perils of being a Veela, even though she was only a quarter Veela. She was given a half-day off school to shop for new clothes. It helped that her father was the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation in France, and the half-day became a full day where Fleur could visit home. Her sister Gabrielle, who 4 years younger and was beginning her own lonely isolation was amazed at the change and Fleur's grandmother was so happy she burst with pride. It had been the happiest day of Fleur's life.

When she returned to school the next day, all of old friends were back, wanting to know how to look like she did, and how to style their hair the same way. They all wanted to be around her. That was until the boys came around and lost all ability to talk. She was surrounded by boys in moments and not one of them could say a word. The only sound was drool hitting the floor.

Fleur had managed to get away from the crowds to find her friends, who she had expected to be sympathetic. Instead most of them were mad and accused her trying to steal their boyfriends to spite them for abandoning her earlier. Fleur had tried to explain allure, and she saw the explanation resonate with a few girls, who tentatively forgave her. That forgiveness ended the second time her allure which she could not yet control captivated their boyfriends again.

Fleur did not have friends at school. Girls were jealous of her or afraid to have their boyfriends stolen, and while there were some boys at Beauxbatons who could speak to her without having their tongue tied in knots, they were usually the type of boy that expected some kind of prize or reward for being able to act somewhat normal around her. A few hexes normally stopped them from being too persistent.

So silence followed her everywhere, especially in the library where she spent all of her time. Books did not give you judgemental looks or mock you the way people did. Fleur was sad that she was alone again, but the second isolation had changed her. Before, she lamented her fate. Now, with her new abilities and more magical power, Fleur was determined to prove all those who derided her wrong. She was 17 now, and still friendless but she was more powerful than ever. Powerful enough to win this tournament.

Fleur entered the tournament because Madame Maxime had told her it was a way to prove herself to the other students. Surely if she was chosen to represent the students by the goblet, they would accept her and be proud of her. So far, Fleur was unsure if her headmaster had tricked her or was if her acceptance would be gradual. Only time would tell, but that did not change the fact that she was in the tournament that she was determined to win.

So Fleur rose, ignoring the silence of the Beauxbatons students around her and walked forward past all the students of Hogwarts. As she walked past she heard the whispers of the girls as their male counterparts had their jaws hit the ground as she walked past. One red headed boy started drooling more than most, which Fleur noticed to her active disgust.

Next to him was a black haired boy with green eyes. She slowed a tiny bit as she passed him, as he looked totally disinterred in her. Their eyes met and then he glanced away, clearly not influenced by her allure, as if she was nothing more than a simple annoyance. She had never seen someone who showed such little interest in her. Frustrated, she directed a tiny bit of her allure at him. His eyes narrowed and she felt her allure forced back into her with a force she had never felt before. The boy's green eyes were curious but vexed as she walked away, clearly confused by what had just happened. She had never seen anyone her age totally resist her active allure, let alone run into someone who could actively repel it.

She shook away that thought as she walked into the room Krum had disappeared into moments earlier. Nothing else mattered but the tri-wizard tournament. It was the perfect time to prove everyone wrong. It was her moment to shine. For Gabrielle, for her mother and father, for her grandmother, for her people. It was time for Veela to take center stage, and Fleur would take them there.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

"The Hogwarts Champion is Cedic Diggory!"

The Hufflepuff table exploded in a cacophony of noise louder than one Cedric had ever heard, even louder than the quidditch world cup. Ironic, Cedric thought as he stood. They were cheering for Krum then, and now they are cheering louder for me even though he won as well. Cedric had studied the faces of the two other champions as they walked past him. Neither of them looked particularly happy, but they looked determined. If the Goblet of Fire had truly chosen the best student from every school, Cedric would be in for a fight.

Cedric was confident in his abilities as a wizard. His father had been training him as a wizard since his first accidental use of magic that confirmed his son's abilities as a wizard. As a powerful figure at the ministry, Amos Diggory had gotten Cedric special dispensation to practice outside of school, something almost none of Cedric's friends knew.

Last summer Jason Chambers, one of his friends, had learned about his special dispensation when they were hanging out over the summer and Cedric carelessly used magic in front of Jason and got no warning owl. Cedric had sworn his friend to secrecy and Jason agreed while finding the situation very funny. It took a few weeks for Cedric to realize that Jason would truly keep his secret, and that Jason really saw everything as funny.

Cedric had been a studious and serious student his entire life, and many of his friends in Hufflepuff were serious and studious as well. It allowed him to focus on important things, like learning spells, becoming seeker and prefect and set him on a path to becoming head boy and making his father proud. It was a challenging life and at times it was hard to see his future, but Cedric had friends around him, even if those friends had the same goals.

This year, things had changed that. Jason had changed that. The 6th year Hufflepuff was quickly becoming Cedric's best friend. He always poked fun at Cedric, calling him names and making him late to a class for the first time in his life. Jason had no intention of trying to become head boy and was more focused on ensuring that he focused more on the here and now than any future plans. Jason had apparently decided that Cedric was going to be his co-conspirator, and it was more fun than any class. Cedric's always excellent grades slipped a tiny bit due to the trouble Jason was always getting him into, but he would be lying if he said that trying to prank Flitwick and getting detention wasn't one of his fondest memories.

Jason had also been the friend who had gotten through to him on Cho. Cedric knew that his crush on Cho Chang, a cute Ravenclaw a year below him wasn't based on much. That did not mean that he was any less immune to her good looks. All of his friends tried to talk Cedric out of it, but he ignored them all. It had taken multiple extended and heated arguments with Jason before he realized that it was fine if he liked Cho, if he could show a reason.

But Cedric couldn't find a real reason, and he had finally given up pining for her. Cho had become friendly to Cedric, which Jason said was because he wasn't emitting the stink of a desperate man. Of all of Cedric's friends, Jason was the only one who mercilessly tormented him when he deserved it, and Cedric finally understood what people said about a best friend doing exactly what you need exactly when you need it.

This year was also different because of Defense against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin had been a good professor, but he had taught similar classes to every year, focusing on creatures. Professor Hayashi, or Akira as Cedric could call him when they met outside of class, was brilliant and had perfect lesson plans for every year, at times tailored to individual students. For someone of his skill to be teaching a class rumoured to be cursed was a delight to every student, and Cedric had been crushed when he learned that Akira would only be there a year regardless of how the class went. Akira was close to their age and a powerful and intelligent wizard, and Cedric would be lying if he said he didn't see Akira as someone who modelled a life he might be interested in.

But now, all Cedric had to do was represent his school, something he would do to the best of his ability. Cedric walked past Dumbledore and smiled turning and waving to the Hufflepuff table who gave a final cheer and he entered the room with his two fellow champions.

"Hi, I'm Cedric Diggory!" Cedric said, reaching out for the girl's hand.

"Fleur Delacour," was her frosty response.

"And I know you!" Cedric said, pointing at the Bulgarian sitting on the other side of the room. "The famous Victor Krum!" Cedric crossed the room and offered his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Krum said. Cedric was a little surprised by the perfect English. "Surprised because I have no accent?"

"A little," Cedric admitted. "It's a good thing though." Krum grunted, and Cedric saw the famous seeker was gone into his own thoughts. "Hey Fleur, can I ask you a question?" Cedric walked over to Fleur and asked without waiting for her answer "why did every guy in the hall seem to go blank when you walked past? Even I felt a little weird."

"It's my allure," Fleur said, with a faint trace of her accent. "I am part Veela."

"Oh, I saw some at the world cup. Please don't throw any fireballs at me?" Cedric joked, but only got a forced laugh from the French girl. Ok, Cedric thought. Serious Cedric it is then. "Do you guys know anything about the tasks?"

"Madame Maxine said they would be hard," Fleur said.

"Karakoff said a similar thing," Krum added.

"Should be fun," Cedric said with no humour in his voice but got nothing. He sighed and found a seat near the door. The door opened and Harry stepped in. Cedric glanced at Harry and saw that his Patronus teacher looked like he had seen a ghost. "Hey Harry!" Harry didn't respond, his head down, his body hunched over. "Does Dumbledore want us or something?"

"Dumbledore?" Harry said, jerking his head up. "No, nothing like that."

"So why are you here than?" Cedric asked, and when Harry looked down again Cedric felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Harry, don't tell me it happened again?"

"Again?" Krum asked moving away from the far wall. Fleur moved closer too.

"Every year, Harry gets involved in some madness, always the worst time. First year Harry got 60 house points on the final day for doing something amazing, that no one knows about. If Ronald Weasley is to be believed, they were after a magical stone."

"What?" Harry blurted out. "That's crazy."

"Not as crazy as what happened second year," Cedric said.

"Cedric!" Harry yelled, grabbing his arm. "That's a secret?"

"Harry, did your name come out of the goblet?" Cedric whispered. "That's the only logical explanation! It happens every year! The 60 points, the basilisk, and the dementors. Please tell me I'm wrong."

"No," Harry said in a quiet voice, but loud enough for all three champions to hear him. "My name came out of the cup." Cedric had to hold back a yell of frustration. Good lord, Harry Potter had the worst possible luck. Part of him was upset, but he could tell from the look of complete panic in his eye that Harry wanted no part of this.

"Harry!" Dumbledore said, bursting into the room with some other professors, the other headmaster's and Barty Crouch behind him. "Did you put your name in the cup?" Dumbledore sounded frantic.

"No!" Harry protested

"Did you ask an older student to do it?" Dumbledore said, grabbing Harry's collar. Cedric heard a harsh snapping sound, and a bolt of light streaked into Dumbledore, sending him crashing into the far wall.

"Get your old decrepit hands off Harry," Akira snapped, walking over to Harry. "You don't deserve to touch him you useless old coot!"

"Professor Hayashi!" Professor Snape said, drawing his wand "Tell me one reason I shouldn't kill you right now

"Oh?" Akira's face was a mask of pure anger and Cedric took a step back. For whatever reason, a truly dangerous Cedric had ever known was furious. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, you filthy death eater!" Everyone in the room gasped in surprise. Cedric's mind whirled. Was one of his professor's actually a death eater?

"Severus, put your wand away," Dumbledore said, slowly standing. "In this instance, Professor Hayashi is right. Harry I never should have laid a hand on you. Please forgive me."

"Too little, too late, Albus!" Akira snapped. "Do I have to list the amount of times Harry had been put in danger due to the negligence of this school and the incompetence of his instructors?" He glared around the room. "I could cut through all of you right now with no more effort than it takes to take a breath." Cedric saw Karakoff bristle at the insult and clearly Akira saw it too. "Oh, another death eater wants to challenge me?"

"Igor and Severus were both cleared in a court of law," Dumbledore said. "Professor Hayashi, I ask that you not throw that around as an insult. Karakoff and Severus both regret their actions and were declared innocent."

"Harry, pack a bag," Akira said quietly. When Harry didn't move, Akira turned and glared at him. "NOW, Harry!"

"He can't go!" Barty Crouch yelled, blocking the door.

"Why not?" Akira said, turning his wand and aiming it at Barty Crouch. "I can leave school and tutor Harry for the rest of the year. Moody is a fine instructor and he can handle his own class. After Christmas I can enroll him at Mahoutokoro and re-join the staff there. He already knows some Japanese. I bet by Christmas he'll know enough Japanese to attend a school where his life isn't put in danger every year!"

"His life in danger?" Madame Maxime huffed. "What is he talking about Albus?"

"An exaggeration, Olympe," Albus told the French headmistress. Albus turned and saw Akira's wand now pointed at him.

"One more lie, Albus, and I blow your head off. Harry comes with me, and he comes now."

"He can't," Barty Crouch said again, and Akira turned with a glare on his face that made Cedric quake.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because of the magic of the cup!" Professor Moody yelled. Everyone looked at him. "Barty is trying to tell you that once Potter's name came out of the cup, he was put in a binding magical contract. He has to compete, or the contract will call his magic as a debt and his life with it in all possibility."

"He cannot compete!" Fleur cried. "He is a just a little boy." Cedric saw Harry glare at Fleur from that comment.

"Little boy?" Harry said with sarcasm. He drew himself up to retort, but Cedric but an arm across the younger boy.

"Forget that. How is this possible?" Cedric asked. "Harry, you don't want to compete do you?" Harry nodded his head, clearly upset and angry. "Even if he got an older student to pass the age line, the cup wouldn't accept the name."

"Actually, Mr. Diggory, you are incorrect," Professor McGonagall said, speaking up for the first time. "Mr Potter recently was given the title of Lord by the Minister of Magic. That officially makes him an adult with all the privileges in entails. No one ever considered this as one of the issues."

"Then we must relight the goblet and feed it names until there are two champions from every school!" Karakoff said.

"Barty?" Albus asked, and every eye in the room turned to the older man, who looked exhausted from the mere concept of having the most famous 14 year old in the world compete in a tournament of his devising. If Cedric had not been worried for his new friend and Patronus teacher, he would have felt bad for Barty Crouch, a man Cedric knew his dad respected immensely.

"No," Barty said after a slight pause. "Then all the champions would die. We cannot force the goblet to relight. It will relight in 3 years. Any attempt to do otherwise would endanger the life's of the champions."

"We will not be a company to this madness," Karakoff screeched. "Come Victor!"

"In a moment, headmaster," Krum said, surprising everyone in the room. Every eye in the room flashed to the Bulgarian, who had a look that Cedric could only describe as pensive. "I would like to hear more about how Harry Potter has had his life put in danger every year. Perhaps that will tell us how he ended up in this situation." Every eye looked at Dumbeldore except Cedric, who saw something he had never seen in Harry's eyes that mirrored Akira's. Deep and terrible fury.

"Well, it's a long story," Dumbledore started.

"IT'S MY DAMN STORY!" Harry yelled and most of the people in the room jumped a little. "You said the magic will kill me if I don't compete?" Barty Crouch nodded. "Good. I won't compete then! I'm living on borrowed time anyways." Harry turned and stormed out of the room.

"This is on your head, Albus," Akira said. "You can be sure that my father will hear of this, and he will not be happy." Akira raced after Harry. McGonagall gave the headmaster a withering look and was right behind Akira.

"If they are all so mad, you must have really messed up," Cedric said, heading to the door.

"Mr. Diggory!" Dumbledore called.

"Harry is my friend!" Cedric responded, "If he said he didn't enter, then he is telling the truth. Now, for whatever bizarre reason he thinks he deserves to die. If you don't see the problem with that, there is something wrong with you. From what I understand, the tasks will be dangerous enough without someone with a death wish. I'm going to find my friend. If he won't compete, neither will I! So figure it out!" Cedric slammed the door behind him and stared at the hall that was still filled with students. Most of them looked confused or angry.

"I'll say this once, and only once!" Cedric yelled at the entire hall. "Anyone who says Harry cheated, or tries to hurt his chances in the tournament will have me as an enemy." The hall was totally silent as Cedric stalked over to the Gryffindor table. "Hermione, Ron, where would he go?"

"I have an idea," Hermione said, and Ron remained sitting. "Ron, come on!" Ron didn't move and Hermione gave an exasperated sigh. "Come on Cedric. Looks like Harry doesn't have as many friends at this table as he thought." Cedric nodded and followed Hermione out of the hall. He had expected Ron to come too, and now he was alone with Hermione! Cedric forced his heart to slow down and to focus on the task at hand, but he would be lying to himself if he said that being alone with Hermione hadn't popped up once or twice in his thoughts recently, even if Harry had nothing to do with those daydreams.

"What happened?" Cedric asked, trying to keep up with Hermione, who was almost running.

"His name popped out," Hermione said. "Harry thought Dumbledore was joking at first. I've seen Harry drive off 100 dementors and not looked scared, Cedric. Tonight he looked scared. I knew he wouldn't do something like that. You don't know how much that statement will mean to Harry, what it means to me." Hermione stopped for a second and grabbed Cedric's hand, and Cedric's heart almost stopped. "Thank you so much."

"It's ok," Cedric said, shaking his hand free. He felt like an electric shock had just travelled down his spine. If there was any doubt that he did not feel something for the younger Gryffindor, it was gone now. Without even trying, Cedric was wrapped around her little finger. But now was not the time to lose himself in his newfound crush. "I bet Harry had more friends than he thinks, but he isn't thinking clearly right now. He said something about deserving to die in there."

"What?" Hermione looked horrified.

"McGonagall and Hayashi are looking for him, but you know him best. Where would he go to hide?"

"Only one place he would go where he could hide and not be seen," Hermione said, and started to run upstairs. After a few flights Hermione stopped, and pointed at a door.

"The Owlery?"

"Not too many people come up here," Hermione said. "Do you really think other people will believe Harry?"

"I'm sure of it," Cedric said. "Start with the Weasley twins. They will think it's a brilliant prank, but they will come to support him. Try Daphne Greengrass too. She a-

"She's in our year, Slytherin. I know her, but I don't know if she'll come too."

"Hermione, we need as many people as possible," Cedric said quietly. "Right now, the only thing that matters is that Harry sees that people believe him. Later we can try and figure out what in the world made Harry Potter offer his life up without a second thought. Can you go gather as many people as possible and get them up here? I'll try to talk to him, to make him see the rest of them."

"Ok," Hermione turned to go, then stopped. "Cedric, he is probably under an invisibility cloak. Good luck." She then raced down the stairs.

"Great," Cedric said. "Then how will I know if he is actually in there?" Cedric opened the door to the Owlery and looked around. "Harry?" He didn't see or hear anything, but he stepped into the room and looked around. "Harry, you in here?" He searched for a few minutes but made no progress. "This is impossible."

"Step aside, Cedric," Cedric heard Akira say. The Japanese Professor whipped his wand around his head twice but nothing appeared, and the professor cursed. He motioned for Cedric to stop moving and then he heard a tiny creak of the floorboards. Akira followed the noise and then his hand reached out and he tore a cloak off Harry, revealed a shivering boy.

"Minerva!" Akira yelled and Cedric saw McGonagall, who was standing behind him rush to Harry and take him in her arms, whispering gently in his ear. Harry continued to shiver, entirely unresponsive. "Why are you here Cedric?" Akira asked angrily and brandished his wand at Cedric.

"Look, Harry and I aren't good friends or anything, but I don't think he did it either," Cedric explained. Akira's face softened . "I kind of know how he feels."

"Trust me, you don't," Akira said, glancing back at the catatonic boy.

"Yeah, I guess I have never wanted to kill myself," Cedric said quietly. "I would have let Hermione talk to him, but I sent her to get anyone who might believe Harry. I think he needs people who believe him right now, real friends."

"That's…actually a really good idea," Akira said, putting his wand away and Cedric breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Of course Akira could still perform wandless magic but if he put his wand away he probably wouldn't curse Cedric. "Not tonight, though. Tonight, let the adults take care of it. But your idea is a good one. Come back here tomorrow, after dinner. Minerva and I will try to get Harry out of this state. He'll at least be willing to listen."

"Ok," Cedric said.

"I heard what you said in the hall," Akira said. "Hermione told me when I passed her on the stairs."

"It was true," Cedric said.

"I know," Akira replied. "But you didn't have to say it." He offered Cedric his hand, and Cedric took it. "Thank you, Cedric. Harry means a lot to me."

"One day, will you tell me why?"

"If you both manage to get him through this tournament alive, I'll tell you," Akira said with a half laugh. "Remember, tomorrow after dinner. Everyone you can think of, everyone who will say they believe him, and that they believe in him. Both are important." Cedric nodded and walked out of the owlery.

"Minerva?" Akira asked, crouching next to Harry.

"He's not responding to me at all," Minerva wailed. "I'm really worried about him. I've never seen him like this."

"And it's not a spell?" Akira asked. The deputy headmistress shook her head. "There's one person who could snap him out of it for sure, but I have no idea how to get in contact with him. I'll reach out, but I'm not hopeful." Akira bent and picked Harry up. "I'll take him to my room." He walked out of the room with his unmoving brother in his arms.

"You were right, Professor Hayashi," Minerva said. "He has been put in danger every year under my watch."

"Minerva, I think Akira is fine. We are practically related," Akira said as they reached his apartment. Thankfully they had not seen any students. "Hold on to his cloak for now," Akira said. "I don't need him to disappear."

"I'll stay, if that's ok," Miverva told him.

"Of course," Akira said and both teachers sat at Harry's beside, eyes glued on the supposed saviour of the wizarding world, both of them desperately wishing the boy would wake up so that they could take him away for this forever.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: Betting you didn't think Akira would be the 4****th**** POV, however short it was. I think that Harry wouldn't go back to the Gryffindor common room, not if he had to go through all the students twice. I think that would have broken him even more. Now let's see if anyone can put him back together.**

**Looking at the original story tags, I realize I tagged Harry, Hermione Fleur and OC (which is Akira, if you haven't pegged that). It was incredibly frustrating to be limited to 4 characters when I want to explore so many players to tell a more diverse story. While the French witch will certainty become a more integral piece of the story from this moment on, I'm not sure she will deserve being tagged for a little while longer, which is my bad. I needed a lot of chapters to start building out Harry's Hogwarts friends, and I'm not going to really increase how I'm using small increments of time, so Fleur won't jump to the forefront right away. **

**But if you wanted to see her as a central character along with Harry, Hermione, and Akira, it will get there by the end. That is not to say I will start ignoring other characters I have developed like Daphne or Dean. But I had a plan for certain characters when I started that, and it hasn't changed too much as I write this.**

**One other note. I have nothing but respect for people that write with accents for foreign characters (that is not sarcasm, that's real respect). I don't have the concentration or skill to do it and maintain even the slightest semblance of my writing style. If you want to imagine poor pronunciation that's fine, but for example Krum will be able to pronounce Hermione's name with no problem.**

Chapter 18: Not Alone

November, 1994

"He's not in there anymore?" Cedric asked.

"Nope," Akira said. "He's actually doing better, though I think your idea is good. To be honest, I'm shocked you go this many people." Akira looked at the veritable crowd of people behind Cedric.

"He has more friends than he thinks," Cedric said. "He deserves even more. He deserves the entire school. You were right. The stuff he has had to go through to make someone want to die…"

"It's worse than anyone knows," Akira said quietly. "That's why the response was so visceral. Wait a minute…" His eyes scanned over the crowd and he beckoned over Hermione.

"Yes Professor Hayashi?" Hermione asked.

"Harry said over the summer he came to your bed every day when you had been petrified and talked. He told me he basically poured his heart out, didn't keep anything a secret. I didn't tell him at the time because there was no point, but you could hear and remember all of that, right?" Hermione nodded. "You know who his only magical living relative is?"

"You, and his grandmother?" Hermione asked. "Yes."

"Look, I feel like you are trying to keep something a secret, so how about I take everyone to wait in a classroom on the 5th floor?" Cedric asked. "We'll wait until curfew if we need to. Try and get Harry down there."

"We'll try," Akira said, and Cedric slowly led the crowd away. "You remember what Harry said about his aunt, uncle, and cousin?"

"Oh god, is that why he reacted like that?"

"Probably," Akira said. "His fear of rejection and hatred is deeply ingrained in him. Right now his best friend might be the only person who can get Harry out of that. But only if you can say you love him and mean it."

"Love?" Hermione looked horrified, and Akira sighed to himself. Teenagers were such a hassle sometimes.

"Just as a friend, not as a girlfriend," Akira told her patiently and Harry's best friend visibly relaxed. If the situation had not been dire, Akira would have found her reaction funny. If she had no thoughts in that direction, then she would have brushed it off. Harry and Hermione were clearly interested about each other, but the reasons they had both come up with as to why they should stay friends actually made perfect sense. A relationship between the two of them was unlikely to work out in the long run by Akira's estimation, but his concerns were more immediate.

"Yeah, then I can say it."

"Tell it to me, then. Pretend I'm Harry," Akira said, and Hermione gave him an odd look. "It has to be convincing."

"Harry, I'm your best friend and I love and believe you," Hermione said, and Akira could see that there was more than friendship there. This was not something to deal with at the moment. Akira suspected that if he had not seen other female friends in Harry's friend group there would be heartbreak in the future, but luckily that was not a problem. Regardless, Hermione was convincing, and that's all that mattered

"Wow. If that was a lie, you are one of the best I have ever seen," Akira conceded.

"It's not a lie," Hermione said, her eyes flashing.

"Let's go then," Akira said and started walking back to his room. "We've got to get Harry moving. Minerva has had a little success, but not enough. I lied to Cedric. He is barely eating and drinking and he hasn't responded to a word we said."

"What about bringing his relatives and torturing them in front of him?" Hermione asked, and Akira could tell she was partially serious.

"Actually not the worst idea. We'll keep that in reserve, but I might try and save some of that for after we get Harry out of this funk and just do it for my own fun and entertainment. I hadn't thought of visiting the Dursleys." Akira knocked on the door and he heard it unlock.

"Hermione?" Minerva asked. She looked wrung out, Akira realized. This is probably harder on her than anyone. She probably felt responsible, and in a way she was even though Akira wasn't about to appropriate blame to her. Akira sat at his desk and fished out a drink as Hermione went over to the bed and sat next to a blank eyed Harry. "Will this work?"

"I hope so," Akira said as Hermione sat there patiently, obviously hoping Harry would acknowledge her presence. "If not, there is only one other person who Harry trusts a similar amount, the guy I was talking about last night. But getting him involved would be a problem, so I'd like to avoid that."

"We need to do whatever possible to help Harry!" Minerva protested.

"Minerva, does the name Nambung mean anything to you?"

"The notorious killer and assassin? I've just heard rumors," Minerva said. "He is said to be unstoppable and a monster in battle."

"You aren't wrong," Akira said, forced to agree with the assessment. "Well, he trained Harry this summer and they formed a kind of father-son bond since they had similar childhoods. He could get Harry out of the funk. And then he would kill all the headmasters, all the other contestants, and anyone who got in his way so that Harry would win by default and wouldn't have to compete. Even Dumbledore wouldn't stand much of a chance against Nambung if he was in a killing rage. He's a little irrational and tends to reach for his wand before thinking, especially when it comes to people he cares about. From what I've seen, Harry at the top of a one person list of people who need his protection who he cares about."

"You are being dramatic, right?" Minerva said, looking at Akira's face looking for humor.

"No, that's pretty accurate," Akira said, and Minerva's face went white. "He's unstoppable when he's angry. So we'll try other options first."

"Harry, I am here for you," Hermione was saying over and over again.

"Hermione?" Harry croaked after a few minutes and the entire room felt silent, all turning to Harry. "Where am I?"

"Harry, are you ok?" Hermione asked, her eyes filled with concern. Harry slid across the bed and bumped his shoulder with hers. "You don't remember what happened?"

"Not really," Harry said. "I was walking out of the great hall after Barty Crouch said I had to compete and when I went past the Hufflepuff table one of them said something really nasty. I looked at Ron for support and I just saw hatred in his eyes." Harry shuddered a bit and Minerva sat next to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I just kind of blacked out. How many days has it been?"

"Only one," Akira told him.

"I missed class an entire day!" Harry said, jumping to his feet. "A Monday, no less! Snape is going to kill me."

"Dumbledore is actually taking this seriously, or at least he is after a few professors laid into him," Akira said. "He spoke to Barty Crouch about what the tasks are, and after hearing about them, all the champions are except from class. I would suggest you go to class when you have the opportunity, but you don't have to go to any class you don't want, and if you want you don't have to take end of year exams."

"That's a comfort," Harry said, even if his voice was tinged with total despair. It would be tempting to skip every potion class, but he knew that wouldn't be good. At least one of his worries was gone.

"If there are subjects you don't feel comfortable with at the end of the year, Remus and I can catch you up over the summer," Akira told him. "Granted, most people don't have two professors offering to help them every summer, but no point in not taking advantage of your special circumstances. There is one other thing that Dumbledore said."

"More surprises?" Harry said with a grimace.

"This is a good surprise," Akira told him. "Every student can choose one professor or their headmaster to help them prepare for the tasks. Obviously he will not directly tell you about the task, but Dumbledore is more than willing to be the person supporting you. He will probably give you hints by working on skills that will be useful for the next tasks-"

"Not Dumbledore," Harry told Akira, quite forcefully. It had been an impulse, but the moment it left Harry's mouth he was sure. He would not choose Dumbledore as his supporter. "I want someone else."

"I suspected you might say that," Akira said with a half-smile. "I'll work out a curriculum for you to make sure you keep up with your studies and are adequately prepared."

"One moment," Harry said as he glanced at Hermione, whose face did not contain her surprise at Harry's refusal to take the headmaster's assistance. "I assume Cedric asked you to be his support."

"He did, but I suggested Flitwick," Akira told Harry.

"No, you should agree," Harry told Akira. Harry could tell his brother was both surprised and a little hurt. "Akira, I would love to have you assisting me. But we are going to meet every morning anyways, and we can do a little magic when I am taking a breather. Cedric is a good guy, and if you work with him it might facilitate him and me working together."

"Harry, that is a really good idea," Hermione said. She was impressed that Harry could think so clearly moments after emerging from a one-day coma. Whatever he had done that summer, he was much more emotionally grounded. The scars of his uncle, aunt and cousin's treatment were still heavily imprinted, but he was stronger now, and smarter. It showed in his classwork, his interactions, and although he was impulsive as ever with his actions, his speech was always a little slower, as if Harry was taking the time to choose every word. Hermione thought it was a good look on her best friend.

"I thought so," Harry said, happy he had Hermione's seal of approval. "Grandma Minnie, I was hoping you could be my support. Obviously you can help with transfiguration, but I also figured as Deputy Headmaster you might be able to wrangle some assistance from other professors if need be. Outside of Snape, I bet they would all be willing to help the poor little fourth year."

"Harry, that is surprisingly devious!" Akira exclaimed.

"Well, the hat thought I was supposed to go to Slytherin," Harry said. Minerva McGonagall gasped in surprise. By her estimation, Harry was what Godric had imagined when he founded Gryffindor for those who had bravery in the face of fear or adversity. Even before their familial link had been discovered, Minnie had always been proud of Harry. No matter what happened and what punishment he faced for his recklessness, his bravery seemed to be critical to the safety of the school every year. She had failed to keep her students safe every year since Harry's first year, but Harry had come through unscathed and has saved many other students where she failed. Now it was time to repay the favour, even if his placement in Gryffindor had not been as fated as she had once thought.

"Of course I will be your support," Minnie told Harry, and she released his shoulder and could not stop herself from hugging the young boy. Harry did not hug her back, but he did not try and break away from the contact, which made Minnie hopeful. Maybe Harry was closer to recovery than she had thought. That would be very important, not only for Harry's mental strength, but also because the first task was less than a month away.

"Harry, there is something else," Hermione said. She had almost forgotten everyone who had been with her earlier with all the information Akira had dropped. Even as she spoke, she was trying to think what classes Harry might skip, and how she could help organize her homework so that she could best assist Harry.

"Hermione, is this important?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "Come with me, if you trust me."

"Hermione," Harry said, a deep scowl crossing his face as he stood, "if you ever say that again, even in jest, I will be extremely upset at you. I trust you no matter what." He couldn't believe that even with all that was going on that Hermione might doubt his trust in her for even a second. He realized that Hermione was actually a little nervous that he might think even she was against him, and some of Harry's nerves and fear floated away. He would always have Hermione with him, and that was enough. No matter who hated him, supported him, or ignored him, he would always have Hermione. He would always have a best friend who would stand at his side to face anything which is all he could wish for.

"Withdrawn," Hermione said with a tentative smile, and Harry clapped her on the shoulder. Just like that, the tension in the room coming from Harry's bad mood and the worry of his best friend and family was alleviated.

"Onwards then," Harry said and followed Hermione out the door. Akira hesitated by the door, but Professor McGonagall held him back. He looked at her curiously, but she shook her head.

"Harry is smart, even if he doesn't always show it in class. If we go, Harry might not believe that his friends are as earnest as we believe. Plus, if we are not there they will speak more freely. That may hurt Harry, but he needs to know who his real friends are."

"Well, I hope no one there speaks badly of Harry. Woe betide anyone who meets with Harry but doesn't support him. I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of Hermione and Cedric."

"So I am not the only one who sees it?" McGonagall asked, her eyes sparkling with a hidden smile.

"No," Akira told her, "and Professor Sprout noticed it as well. I was going to intercede, but I think that part of being older is letting the young make the mistakes we all made."

"Well, I would hope that unplanned pregnancies and children out of wedlock are not in our students future."

"Indeed." Akira opened a cupboard and with a swish of his hand a bottle of fire whisky and two cups floated onto his table. The bottle tipped over and both cups were filled. "To Harry."

"Yes," McGonagall said, and then shut the door.

"Hermione, it's almost curfew," Harry said, looking down at his watch. "While I'm sure some people might be understanding, Filch and Snape would love to attack me if they found me out of the tower."

"Well, I doubt they would attack all of us," Hermione said, opening the door and ushering Harry through.

"All of us," Harry started to say, and then his eyes widened. His mouth continued to move but nothing came out.

"Hey Harry," Neville said, stepping forward from the group. He looked around, but the group remained up against the wall. "Ok, I guess I'm the spokesman for the group. We just wanted to say we believe you didn't enter the tournament. Anyone who knows you knows you wouldn't want this. I can't speak for anyone else, but if you ever need me, you know I have your back. Now and forever." He extended his arm and Harry gripped his hand.

"Really?" Harry asked, his voice quivering a bit as he looked over the group. Harry might have guessed that even though Ron was furious, some people might support him. But the size of the group was overwhelming. Neville and Dean, Susan and Hannah, Lavender, the Weasley twins and course Hermione, who had moved up behind him. Even Cedric and Jason were present, Cedric with a rueful grin on his face.

"Now and forever," Neville said. "I always have your back and I will always be your friend."

"We all do," Lavender said, surprising Harry. "You are many things, Harry but you are not a liar."

"I'd like you to survive," Jason said, another surprising speaker. "If you die, I think that my chances of learning the Patronus charm would be non-existent." Cedric elbowed him hard in the side. "Ouch!"

"Sorry for that, Harry," Cedric said, stepping past his friend to stand next to Neville. "This is a really nasty surprise, but I promise you that while it might take a bit of time to bring everyone around, all of Hufflepuff will support you as well. Besides," Cedric whispered as he leaned in "if one of the challenges is a basilisk I'll need some advice."

"Who would make sure Ron gets our pranks?" One of the twins said while the other threw his arm around the speaker. "We always have your back."

Harry looked over the group of friends who stood before him and crumpled to the ground, tears flowing down his face. He simply couldn't believe that these people would stand up for him. It was one thing to support him silently, but for so many people to support him in front of their schoolmates caused Harry to really lose it. He could barely look up to see the people crowding around him, most of them with real concern.

"It's okay," Harry said, trying to compose himself. "These are happy tears."

"Good," Hermione said, crouching down next to him and putting her hand in his. "I won't let my best friend die because of a stupid tournament. We will get through this."

"Yeah," Fred and George said in concert. "We are in too. We'll prank all the other candidates out of school." They realized who was in the room and quickly turned to Cedric.

"Not you Cedric," one twin said.

"You are a decent enough bloke," the other said.

"We learned a long time ago not to mess with Puffs."

"But don't mess with an adopted Weasley," they said, speaking in concert again.

"Good to know some of the Weasley clan are still with me," Harry muttered darkly.

"I'll talk Ron around," Hermione said quietly, but Harry didn't respond. He didn't know if he wanted Hermione to do that, but that was an issue for another time. The tears were almost gone from his face, but eyes were a little red rimmed.

"Cedric, I talked to Professor Hayashi." Harry said, standing up, trying to get his reeling feelings under control. "He will be your support. I know you really respect him, and I'm sure you two will be great competition."

"Wow, Harry, I don't…" Cedric said, lost for words.

"I think what my friend is trying to say is thank you," Jason said, returning Cedric's earlier elbow."

"I would have gotten there eventually," Cedric growled at Jason and tried to shove him but Jason jumped out of the way. Harry couldn't help a small laugh from escaping and soon the whole room was laughing.

"Well, we better get back before curfew," Dean said after everyone had laughed for a few seconds. "Don't need to give Snape an excuse to dock points." The room murmured in agreement and Harry smiled. Hermione reached out and grabbed his sleeve as Harry gestured for the twins to stay. Soon only the two 4th year Gryffindors and Weasley twins were in the room.

"Guys, I wouldn't prank either of the champions," Harry told them. "Fleur has this weird power I don't recognize, and I think Krum might have been supporting me before I kind of lost it."

"We just want to even the playing field," one of the twins said.

"Just be careful," Harry told them. "Let me feel them out first."

"Harry's right," Hermione said, surprising herself. Anything that might help Harry would be great, but once again, his acumen surprised her. "They might learn who is pranking them, and your friendship with Harry is well known. No need to turn potentially allies or neutrals into enemies."

"You are the boss," the other twin said with a mock salute. "We'll prepare some things just in case, if that's ok. Malfoy was being extra obnoxious today, so maybe we will use him as a test subject."

"I'd never say no to that." One of the twins seemed to notice something, and nudged the other. The second twin's eyes widened, and he nodded to his brother.

"We'll get out of your hair. Try to stay out of trouble for a little while," The twins said in concert and then almost bolted out the door.

"You didn't have to stay," Harry told Hermione.

"Actually I did," Hermione said, gesturing Harry out the door. "Listen, you know I'm not her biggest fan," Hermione said as she led him down the corridor. "But she was the first person to come up to me, and the biggest surprise. She didn't want to join the big group, but I just figured…" Hermione trailed off as she neared the classroom at the end of the platform.

"Hermione, I don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about," Harry told her.

"Just be careful," Hermione told him. "I don't know if she is sincere or just trying an angle. I'm am pretty sure, but with Slytherin you never know."

"Hermione," Harry started, but then his eyes widened. "She came up to you?" There was almost a tangible longing in his voice. Hermione silently sighed, and her crush on her best friend faded away, realizing that if Harry could start to develop feelings for a girl he had known for less than 3 months, it would never happen for her. She would be his best friend, always, but she would let those other feelings that she had pushed down since second year die, as painful as it would be.

"Here is your cloak," Hermione said, taking the cloak out of her bookbag. "Don't be too late. We will need to start planning your class schedule and support sessions with McGonagall tomorrow." She gave him a tight hug and then turned to walk up to the tower. There was a tiny tear in her eye but she made sure Harry didn't see and picked up her pace the moment she was out of sight. She glanced back once but Harry's eyes were glued on the door.

Harry took a deep breath, and then slipped into the room. The lights were off, but there were a few candles lit. The gentle light caught on the blond hair as the girl turned around and Harry's heart started to beat a little faster. Daphne was looking at him curiously and they both stood there silently for a moment. Then Harry took a half step towards Daphne and she raced across the room throwing herself into Harry's arms.

"Harry!" Daphne cried out, as Harry's arms enfolded her. "When did you get so strong?" She joked as she pulled back a little, and their eyes met. Daphne leaned forward and their lips met. Harry stiffened for a second and Daphne instantly pulled back. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. I just couldn't stop-" Daphne cut off with a small squeak as Harry leaned in and kissed her back.

It was a short tentative kiss as Daphne pulled back again to give Harry a small smile. Then she returned to kiss him again, and as Daphne's arms tightened around him during their third kiss Harry felt his knees start to go weak. He slid his mouth away and put his head on Daphne's shoulder, holding her gently. He breathed in the scent of her hair and her hands tightened around him.

"So was this always your plan?" Harry asked as they sat, Daphne leaning into Harry's chest. She tilted her head up, pursing her lips in thought. Harry simply couldn't resist and he leaned in to kiss her again.

"You stop that," Daphne said with a laugh as she pushed him away after a few seconds. "We have to talk about this, about us and I can't think if you keep kissing me."

"Ok," Harry said, a cold hand settling over his heart. Daphne felt him tense and turned to Harry, trying to keep her face blank. But she couldn't help it as she met Harry's eyes with her own and a small smile broke out.

"Harry, look, I just don't know what I feel. I just know I have never felt it before, and if we are going to be…something, and I want us to be something, this is going to be complicated."

"Daphne, true magic results from courage of the heart," Harry said. "I like you. I like you as a friend and as a girl. You make me feel brave and you make me happy. Right now, the tournament is gone, my friends and teachers are gone. Right now, it is me and you. Do you like me?"

"I don't know!" Daphne replied. "I think I do, but Harry, there is a lot going on. I was so worried when I heard your name, and then Hermione came and talked to me. Then you were standing there and I just wanted you to know that I care about you. I love being your friend, but I'm not sure I can do more."

"We can take it slow," Harry told her. "I'll always be your friend, Daphne. If you don't want this, I won't be hurt or offended."

"I don't know if I want this," Daphne admitted. "but when I think about Granger or Bones kissing you, it makes me furious!"

"Hermione and Susan?" Harry held back a laugh. "I think you are way off base, Daphne."

"Harry, you are such a guy." Daphne leaned back into Harry's chest to hide her eyes. Harry was smart, courageous, sweet and everything she could want in a boyfriend. If that was all there was, she would brave the hatred of her house to be with him, even if her closest friends would understand. But she didn't want to make unnecessary enemies if they broke up, and Susan Bones would be a dangerous enemy when she got older and realized what having the Bones name meant. She definitely did not want to get in between Harry and his best friend either, or ever have Granger turn her ire towards her.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you are incredibly dense when it comes to how girls feel about you," Daphne said, hiding a patient smile. "I wouldn't have stood a chance if Granger could be up front with her feelings, but the fact I talked to her and she still dropped you off here means that she isn't ready, and I am not going to give her a chance to steal you back. As far as Susan goes, she was probably willing to wait until you approached her. This was my only chance to steal you away. I'm sure you will be too busy with the tournament to continue our lessons."

"Well, if that's why you kissed me it was a bit premature," Harry told her. "I had no intentions of stopping our lessons. That being said, it was a pretty amazing first kiss."

"That was your first kiss?" Daphne asked in both shock and amazement. "No way."

"Why is that so unbelievable?" Harry was a little hurt by the surprise in Daphne's voice. He didn't think he came off like a womanizer, and if that was why Daphne had kissed him, this relationship of more than friends might be over it began. Harry knew he had been lying when he said if Daphne didn't want to be more than friends he would be fine. It would absolutely crush him, and while he was sure Hermione and Akira would help him get over it, he didn't know if he could still be friends with Daphne if she turned him away, not after those kisses.

"I swear, Harry Potter, you will be the death of me!" Daphne said, but then glanced at her watch. "Harry, it is 5 minutes until curfew! I don't have to tell you how bad it will be if we are caught after curfew."

"Fine," Harry said, standing up and helping Daphne to her feet. "But we are not done with this conversation."

"No we are not," Daphne stated, and then leaned in and gave him a very serious kiss that made Harry's knees weak again. "You really don't know that almost every girl in the castle would kill to be in my place right now?"

"I really don't," Harry replied honestly. This was certainly news to him. Daphne narrowed her eyes for a second, but seemed to relax and Harry was happy she seemed to believe him.

"Look, I need a few days to sort out how I'm feeling, but do me a favour and don't be alone with Granger or Bones until I come talk to you."

"Daphne, I really like you," Harry said. "But if you are going to dictate how I spend time with my friends, then as much as it hurts me we are going to just be friends."

"I would never ask you to not spend time with them," Daphne explained. "They are both really smart and wonderful girls, and if I can't get up enough courage to be your…girlfriend," Daphne and Harry both blushed a little at the word "I wouldn't mind if you went out with either of them. But just for the next few days, so I can think this over carefully. For my peace of mind, ok?"

"I won't promise anything I don't know I can't keep," Harry admitted. "But I promise I will try, and if I am with them it will be in public, not in a broom closet." He grinned at Daphne who punched him gently in the arm. "Now get going." Daphne started down the corner and Harry watched her go. She finally disappeared out of view and Harry slumped to the ground, a little exhausted.

"I don't know if I am a good or bad brother for not going into the classroom," Akira said as he ended his disillusionment charm. "It seems you have a little lipstick on you," Akira observed and Harry couldn't keep the grin off his tired face. "So, Greengrass is your girlfriend now?"

"She doesn't know," Harry explained. "She wants a few days to think about what she wants."

"And what do you want?" Harry paused to think for a moment. The moment he had seen Daphne waiting for him he had just reacted, done whatever felt natural. Now he finally had a moment to think through his own feelings. Akira waited patiently as Harry took a deep breath and let the lake form in his mind.

"Right now, I want to go to bed," Harry said, and Akira laughed. "But tomorrow, I want to go up to her in front of the entire great hall and kiss her. I want to tell her that as crazy as it is, I trust her almost as much as I trust Hermione. That I would make an enemy of the entire Slytherin house just to get one day to hold her hand around school. That's crazy, right?"

"Yes, it is," Akira told him. "There are some Slytherin you don't want as enemies, some that don't really hate you. I know he is on the quidditch team, and this isn't the year to send overtures to most of the snakes given everything going on, but you might consider, at the end of the year, talking to Adrian Pucey. Right now I think they all hate you."

"I always listen to your advice, but you sure have some bizarre ideas sometimes," Harry said and they started walking back to the dormitory. "I guess he doesn't cheat too much when we play Slytherin.

"Harry, just so you know I'm not letting the fact you skipped practice this morning slide." Harry nodded ruefully. "Tomorrow at 6:30." Harry nodded as he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and said the password. Akira walked off down the corridor and Harry walked into the common room.

So much had happened in the past 24 hours, Harry would need a few days to grapple with it all and come to terms. But as he settled into bed, he felt better than normal. He thought about his grandmother, his brother, his friends, and Daphne, whatever they were. And Harry realized what this weird feeling was. It was hope.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: I'm back! Hope you all had a happy holiday period, regardless of what you celebrate.**

**I am going to write a slightly longer note right now to address something. If you are still with me, thank you and I hope you are enjoying the ride. **

**You probably noticed I did NOT tag this story with any pairings. That is because Harry is 14. He might stay together with Daphne. He might not. We are far from done for our journey through this AU. I am not going to tag this story with any pairings in order to keep some element of suspense and surprise. If you are reading this in real time and want to know who Harry's eventually partner will be because you like a specific pairing and you have noticed that character in my story, feel free to review with suggestions. I have not decided myself and I may make changes, though I do have a character in mind and some pairings are already determined. If you are reading this and I have already finished this story, then I may not respond for a little while, but reach out nonetheless and I will try to get back to you.**

**Like I said in my first chapter, I want you to read this because you enjoy my version of the characters given the circumstances I created. If Daphne and Harry is not something you enjoy but you like the other elements of the story, that doesn't mean you should give up just yet (even if this idea is not the most unique).**

**Ok, enough of my blathering. Back to the real story.**

Chapter 19: You Want Me to do What?

November, 1994

Harry could not believe that the first task was a few days away. He had been announced as the fourth champion only 3 weeks ago, and Halloween continued to be the worst night of his life, no matter what the year was. For a day, the world crashed down around him. Then Hermione had dipped into his lake of misery and dragged him out of his mental shipwreck, and his friends helped dry him off. Daphne had completed the process and Harry, though it took more than a day, had righted the ship.

The wind had started to propel his metaphorical ship forward the Wednesday after that horrible Halloween. Daphne had showed up unexpectedly in the library while Harry's informal study group was working on potions, shoved Neville out of the way, sat down next to Harry, and quite visibly slid her hand into his. The only emotion she had showed as she looked around the table was determination, and while there were a few people surprised, most of the students seemed to shrug it off and get right back to homework.

"It wasn't a big deal to them," Daphne had complained after the study group had broken up for the evening, leaving just Harry, Daphne and Hermione. While he had kept his promise to not be alone in a broom closet with Hermione, Harry had told her exactly what happened the minute he saw her Tuesday morning. She was happy for him, confirming Harry's suspicion that Daphne was incorrect that Hermione was anything more than a wonderful best friend.

What Harry didn't know was that it took remarkable self-control for Hermione to keep a real smile plastered on her face when Harry told her the news. She wasn't surprised, far from it. Although Harry was completely in the dark, she, as well as almost every girl in the castle harboured a crush on Harry. Some were serious like herself, and others, such as Ginny Weasley's were frankly ridiculous. But Harry looked happy when he talked about the kisses, and he did not stop talking about it with her in hushed tones even after Daphne had joined them. So she kept that smile on her face.

"Of course it wasn't." Harry had told Daphne as Hermione sat there silently. "They don't really care you are a Slytherin. Besides, given my position, I can't really be too picky about who wants to be around me. Cedric is trying, but most of Hufflepuff is mad because they think I am trying to steal the spotlight from their champion. Your entire house hates me, but nothing is new there. I have never had good friends in Ravenclaw, and they aren't about to come around now." Harry shrugged and went to get a book.

"So," Hermione had said once Harry was out of earshot. "You and Harry."

"You dropped him off at the room I was in," Daphne responded. "You knew that it wasn't to chat about his rights as a lord."

"Harry said that kissing you was magical," Hermione snapped, trying to get the blond-haired witch to fire back.

"Look, Hermione," Daphne said, turning to match eyes with her, "I really don't want to go down this road."

"What do you mean?" Hermione said, surprised by the conciliatory tone in her voice.

"I like Harry an awful lot," Daphne admitted. "Way more than I thought I did. I spent all of the last two days thinking about how I feel, and while some of my close friends might understand, most of my house would attack me the moment this got out. You don't have to drive me away. One comment from you and Harry and I would be done."

"I think he likes me as well. But I know that what you and Harry have is special. If I get in the way of that, I'd lose. Harry and I could hypothetically get married and have kids way in the future, and if I got in the way of your friendship I would still lose. I hold no illusions about the importance of your friendship with Harry. That's when I get confused by your choices in the past and at that moment."

"It doesn't take a genius to realize that you liked Harry as more than a friend." Hermione gave a little jolt of surprise at that, but Daphne continued on as if she hadn't noticed, even though Hermione knew Daphne was too perceptive not to notice. "But you never acted on it. Maybe if you had shown some Gryffindor courage, we would be on opposite sides of the table. Regardless, you love Harry, both as a guy and a friend. I understand that, and appreciate that."

"I won't use words like love because they would scare Harry off. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it and I don't know now. But can we both agree that Harry looks much better now than he did 3 days ago? I'm sure part of it is the fact that all his friends backed him up, but look at the cause and effect. When I talked to Susan on Tuesday, she said Harry cried. They might have been tears of happiness, but there was still sadness there. Ever since he and I kissed, no tears."

"You know that is overly simplistic," Hermione replied, annoyed that Daphne was making perfect sense.

"Just like you can see how his face lights up whenever he sees me. It is amazing to me that someone like me can affect someone as remarkable as Harry like that. Not Harry Potter, mind you. I would never date Harry Potter. Dating Harry, however, is something I am much more interested in."

"That's good," Hermione said.

"Look, I have no illusions about school romance. There is a chance that Harry and I will have a big fight tomorrow and it will be over. More than likely, I won't be Harry's forever girl. But I will always be in his life as a friend. He is too good a person for me to lose, regardless of what my relationship with him is. You still have the inside track of knowing him 3 more years than me."

"Daphne, could you please get to the point?" Hermione asked. She did not like being talked at.

"Any couple fights. Harry will run to you when we fight, for comfort and advice. You know him well enough to say what you need to if you want to break us up. Don't, at least not at first. Give me a chance to make Harry happy. Both you and I will be in Harry's life for a long time in different roles. At a bare minimum, can we be cordial for a little while?"

"You don't want to be friends?" Hermione asked.

"We have known each other since last year in runes, and you have never shown any indication that you wanted to be friends," Daphne noted. "I doubt me stealing the guy you love and your best friend is going to change that."

"You weren't friends with Harry," Hermione noted. "Now you are."

"First of all, I'm his girlfriend, not his friend, at least at the moment." Hermione nodded with a tinge of bitterness. "But if you want to be friends, I'd be stupid not to give it a go. If Harry and I break up, the friendship of the smartest witch in Hogwarts is right behind a friendship with Harry, Neville, or Susan in importance, and I'm sure if you wanted you could turn all three of them against me.

"Ok, we will give friends a try." Hermione said, though there was no smile. Daphne seemed sincere enough, and she made a lot of sense. Hermione wasn't as prejudiced against snakes as she had been in the past, and becoming acquaintances with Daphne had been the driving force behind that change. That didn't mean Hermione was foolish enough to take Daphne at her word but after doing some small calculations in her mind it was an easy choice.

Hermione and Daphne made sure to keep their conversation to themselves, for a variety of reasons. This was certainly not an issue Harry needed to deal with, even if he was equipped with the social skills to do so. To be fair, Hermione reasoned that no boy in the world could make his female friends like his girlfriend. That would really be magic. She was leaving the great hall with Harry on Friday when Daphne swung by.

"Hey Daphne," Harry said and Daphne gave him the briefest of nods.

"Sorry Harry, I'm stealing Hermione. We are going to have a girls day, get ready for Hogsmeade tomorrow. I have a feeling that someone is going to ask Hermione later today."

"Really?" Hermione seemed shocked and delighted. A small worm of jealously popped up in Harry's chest for a tiny moment, and he instantly squashed it seeing the look of happiness on Hermione's face and Daphne gave him a small smile, clearly happy she could make Hermione happy. Harry felt a little sick at his jealousy as Daphne dragged Hermione away, but it was clear his… dare he say it… girlfriend and best friend were off in their own world, which made him happy enough to ignore the jealousy.

"I didn't know they were good friends," Dean noted, coming up behind Harry

"I didn't think they were," Harry noted. "I have known Hermione a long time, and she still baffles me all the time."

"Who can understand girls?" Neville said, coming up in between the two of them.

"You seem to understand Hannah pretty well," Dean said with a sly smile at Harry. Neville blushed and looked away as Dean chuckled. "Perhaps we are not meant to understand them. Not completely. Maybe we are nearly meant to try and appreciate them, while we struggle with an impossible comprehension."

"Dean, that is perhaps the most insightful thing I have ever heard you say," Harry told his friend. "I think you are probably dead on too."

"My dad says he never understands my mom," Dean explained. "They are happily married too, even if he isn't my birth dad. You and Daphne have been a couple for 2 days now?"

"Daphne I know I don't understand, but it's Hermione who surprised me today. She was so excited when Daphne said someone would probably ask her to Hogsmeade."

"Oh, has he finally got up the courage?" Dean asked. "I can't believe I didn't see it before. I guess there was a silver lining to you entering the tournament for Hermione after all."

"Good for them," Neville said. "They could be a great couple."

"Want to tell me who the mystery guy is?" Harry asked

"Wait, he didn't ask her yet?" Dean said

"Is it Ron?" Harry guessed. Dean and Neville looked at each other and started laughing. "Ok, tell me who it is!"

"Not a chance," Dean said. "You are going with Daphne, so assuming Hermione says yes, and I bet she will, you'll see them. I bet they go tomorrow, so you and Daphne should do tomorrow as well."

"Is it really going to shock me?"

"I bet you a galleon that your mouth drops open and that Daphne will laugh at you." Harry accepted the bet and one day later paid Dean, still a little surprised when he saw Hermione entering the three broomsticks with a clearly enthralled Cedric. Daphne had given him a hard time about it, but the more Harry thought about it, the happier he was. He had respected Cedric last year and after spending more time with him this year his opinion on the 6th seeker had only improved.

He asked Hermione about it on Monday, purely because it would be weird if it didn't. A row behind them in Defense, Ron made a half puking sound and without flinching Harry turned and hit Ron with a Full-Body Bind. Akira took off 10 points, which Harry thought was more than fair but none of his Gryffindor classmates were upset. Harry did hear that the twins had sneaked a surprise candy into Ron's dinner as a result of his nasty remark and Ron spent 5 minutes as a tiny and whiny dog.

Later, when there was no redhead to interrupt them, Hermione had told Harry that Cedric was a perfect gentleman, and that she had been shocked when he asked her. After her initial hesitation, Cedric had told her that there not one person in the castle that he would rather go with, and with Daphne's urging she had accepted.

"It was great," Hermione had told him. "I had a lot of fun with you under the invisibility cloak last year, Harry, and of course any time you want me to go with you I'll happily tag along."

"Hermione, do you like Cedric?" Harry asked point blank. "You know I think he is a good bloke. He would not have been selected as the champion otherwise. But that doesn't matter if you don't like him."

"He is nice," Hermione said. "That's all I know for now. Let's get back to work." Harry smiled but let Hermione get away with the blatant and clumsy topic change. To be fair, Hermione had spent a shocking amount of time devising a schedule for him so that he could skip some classes, spend extra time with McGonagall and be ready for his end of year exams. However, she had made an unintentional mistake and put some morning study sessions in.

Harry had not intentionally kept his morning training martial arts sessions from Hermione, but since he only worked out in the boys dorm at night or early in the morning, it had never come up beyond a casual comment or two. He had invited Hermione along to the next morning to watch him and Akira practice, but after the second time Akira hit him square in the chest, the professor was forced to jump out of the way of a barrage on jinxes until Harry got up and calmed her down. Hermione took the morning study sessions off the schedule, but never attended another morning workout session, which Harry thought was a good thing. Akira tossed him around at least 3 times a week, which made sure that while Harry was happy, his ego never got too large.

Cedric had managed to turn some of Hufflepuff back from hostile to neutral, and it was no suprise the snakes hatred for him grew now that he and Daphne were a public couple, seeing it as Harry stealing one of the prettiest girls in school. That was only an ancillary benefit for Harry, who believed that he would have had feelings for Daphne even if she wasn't in another house. He had told her so the next weekend.

"Harry, being a Slytherin is part of who I am. I assume you like the part of me that is cunning as well." Harry quickly assured her he did "I would be a different person if I didn't have that, someone who maybe never would have interacted with you the way we did this year. But it's silly to think about that."

"I guess so," Harry told her. "But it irritates me that some of your housemates accuse me of going out with you just to annoy them. Honestly I think they are just jealous."

"You might as well give them something to be jealous off," Daphne said, leaning back so that Harry could kiss her. They were outside, enjoying a rare warm day in November and while they had their care of magical creature books out beside them to study, they had been interrupted quite frequently. Harry was leaned up against a tree, with Daphne buried into her new favourite place, her head right under his resting on his chest.

Harry had been a little surprised by how openly and public affectionate Daphne was, but she had calmly explained, in between kisses in the middle of the library, that anyone and everyone should know that at the present time, Harry was all hers. Harry loved the thrill he felt down his spine when she kissed him and the mirth in her eyes when she broke off from a more serious kiss, so even though he was mildly uncomfortable with the attention he didn't complain all that much.

No matter what day it was or what was going on, Harry could call up the most important memory from that day so easily. Despite everything he had done, and the accomplishments and praise he had gotten from different people his entire life, that lazy Saturday had been his best ever day at Hogwarts. After a perfect day with Daphne, he had kissed her one final time before the sun went down and they had to move inside.

"This day was perfect," Daphne told him.

"Yeah," Harry said, feeling totally content.

"Harry, I have to tell you something and you have to promise not to laugh," Daphne told him. Harry nodded. "A promise is worthless unless you say it out loud."

"I promise, Ms. Greengrass. I shall remain stone faced."

"Prat." Daphne took a deep breath. "Do you remember how I told you that when I almost summoned my Patronus I wasn't using a memory? It was something I wanted to happen."

"Daphne, you know how I feel about talking about a Patronus trigger."

"Just let me stumble my way through this, ok?" Daphne looked more nervous than Harry had ever seen. "I have always loved this tree," Daphne said indicating the tree Harry's back rested on. "I thought it was so beautiful, and I always imagined that one day I would come out and have a picnic with a great boy underneath that tree who I was crazy about and who cared about me, but the guy never had a face. Until I cast the charm, and the boy, well it was you." Harry stayed silent as Daphne rose from his chest, pulled her wand out and whispered "Expecto Patronum."

The mist took shape with incredible speed and Harry watched as a large cat emerged from the mist, circling around the two of them. The courtyard was dead silent and Harry realized that at least 30 pairs of eyes were on them. Harry joined his girlfriend and raised his wand as well. He didn't have to search for a memory, as happy and proud as he was at that moment and a stag replaced the large cat as Daphne sat down tiredly. The stag trotted up to Harry and butted his antlers into Harry. And Harry stumbled back from the contact.

"Harry?" Daphne said in total shock as the stag bent his head so Daphne could pet him. Harry smiled as Daphne laid her hand on the stag who almost seemed to wink before he slowly faded away. The realization hit Harry like a load of bricks, literally knocking him down the ground. Prongs had been solid. What's more, he was not imaging it. Daphne had touched the stag too. They sat there not speaking for a few minutes and then Harry dropped Daphne off near the dungeons.

They had not spoken a word after Prongs disappeared. Harry normally would have wanted to congratulate Daphne on conjuring a Patronus, and ask her what the animal was. He had not recognized the big cat, and would ask her on soon. But after touching the solid form of Prongs, speaking that evening just felt like he was disturbing something special. Harry was not particularly religious: getting beaten and a young age and losing your parents not long after your first birthday made Harry really question if there was a higher power. But there had been something ethereal, almost sacred about Prong's appearance that evening that made Harry think. He couldn't talk about it, not tonight, not even to the one person who knew the entire story of Prongs.

Harry ignored all the greetings in the common room, even Hermione's simple hi and went up to his bed totally ignoring his usual exercises and found the lake. As a drop of water fell from the sky of his mind, Harry gazed at the lake in his mind. The ripples spread out in total silence, and a second drop fell, disturbing the image that appeared on the lake. Harry couldn't even control his mind as the picture from that evening, of Daphne's hand on the stag jumped into his mind and stayed there even as Harry tried to sleep.

On Monday, Harry had used his special time with Minnie to show her the new and improved Prongs. She had never seen Prongs, so she was very impressed. She had almost fallen over in shock when Prongs butted her gently with his horns until Minnie pet him. She had called in almost every professor in the castle, and this time Harry used the pride in his grandmother's eyes to summon the image of his father's second form, who allowed Flitwick, Sprout, and Akira to touch him before he left.

Harry was exhausted and Akira advised him to take the night off, but Harry managed to stumble through his night time exercises. The next morning after his shower to wipe away the sweat from morning training Neville and Dean told Harry he had fallen asleep on the floor and that they had been forced to lift him into bed. Harry knew if he told the truth about his exhaustion he would be asked for a repeat performance, and he while he had told Hermione as soon as he had seen her that morning, he felt almost possessive of Prongs. So he just said he was training hard for the tournament.

It was not a lie. Every few days, Hermione and McGonagall chose a new spell and Harry did not rest until he cast it successfully twice in a row. His list of charms and transfigurations grew comprehensively, and the third week Akira and McGonagall added hexes and jinxes, while also closely supervising a few duels between Cedric and Harry. Much to Harry's frustration, Akira had banned not only hand to hand combat, but also dodging, claiming that Harry's unnatural speed and agility would be unfair. After Cedric's fifth consecutive victory, he actually snapped at Harry, angry that Harry was taking it easy on him.

A long discussion with Akira and a promise of secrecy from Cedric later, Harry knocked the older boy out twice in quick succession, first with a reverse roundhouse to the temple, followed by a lightning fast chain of punches, ending with a left landing in his stomach, and a right hook catching Cedric flush in the chin and knocking the older boy out as he doubled over in pain from the shot to his stomach. The rest of the duels were conducted only with spells, though Cedric stayed to watch Harry and Akira spar. Akira still kept the rule from the summer in place that he could fight hand to hand or cast spells, but never both of them in a single duel.

So it was a tired but excited Harry who left Potions to go to, as Colin Creevey had called it, the wand weighting two days before the first task. He arrived just in time to see Ollivander examine Fleur's wand. There was a reporter trying to talk to Harry, who just wanted to learn about his competition. Harry shot a pointed look at Akira. His brother smiled faintly as the reporter, who had told Harry to call her Rita, lost her footing and crashed to the floor, causing Ollivander to pause.

To his surprise, Harry learned that the French champion was part Veela. He would ask Minnie about that later. Maybe that had something to do with the weird power he felt from her mind when they happened to run across each other. They had not spoken once and Harry could almost feel the cold air gusting across the room as Fleur glared at him, ignoring the other two competitors. Harry didn't bother discussing anything with her. He got enough flak from his own school for supposedly cheating into the tournament. He didn't need an extra student's issues.

Krum's wand was apparently geared towards powerful but dangerous spells, and Cedric got a laugh with a joke about wand polishing. The reporter had tried to sneak up to Harry a few more times, but for some bizarre reason she kept struggling to find her footing whenever she approached Harry. Harry could see Minnie trying to discipline or stop Akira after the second slip, but Akira was clearly having too much fun to stop. Even as Harry stepped forward to greet the wandmaker, the reporter went tumbling to the ground again for the 6th time.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," Ollivander said as he accepted Harry's wand. "Bearer of an unusual wand."

"I had the chance to thank Fawkes when I met him," Harry said, and the wandmaker smiled.

"A remarkable bird. If you have the chance to ask him for another feather, I would be very thankful."

"I think you'll find that phoenix's don't take requests all that well," Dumbledore had interjected. Harry, who did not know anything about phoenix, even Fawkes simply agreed. While his feelings about Dumbledore were mixed up, Harry still trusted the older wizard. The offer to be his support teacher had won back a lot of trust, even if he had decided to go with his grandmother. Ollivander declared Harry's wand fit for battle, and Harry was almost out the door before the reporter and her cameraman demanded the need for photos.

Harry actually felt a little bad for the French champion as the cameraman leered at her and obviously focused the group pictures on her. Then she turned her icy stare on Harry and Harry decided to just ignore her. As the photographer changed out a roll of film for another, the camera burst into flames.

"Too bad," Akira said, stepping forward and drawing his wand, dousing the camera and the cameraman with a torrent of water. "I guess the students better get going." Fleur swept past the other champions behind her giant of a headmistress. Harry and Cedric shared a glance and shrug, and grabbed their bags to head out.

"Cedric, Harry!" Krum called out and both Hogwarts champions stopped in their tracks. "I have heard from some other students that you two both play seeker."

"Not as well as you, Krum," Cedric said. "Your wronski feint at the world cup was brilliant. I could never pull something like that off."

"Well, perhaps we could fly together sometimes," Krum suggested. "Perhaps I could teach you?"

"That would be awesome!" Harry exclaimed. "I wish I could return the favor."

"Actually, you might be able to," Krum said. "I always see you in the library with a girl with brown bushy hair. She had been quite helpful to me in finding certain books. I find her fascinating. What is her name? She has never told me." Harry glanced at Cedric, who looked almost apoplectic, and grabbed Cedric's hand which was diving for his wand.

"Well, I hope you just find her interesting as a person. She and Cedric are dating," Harry said.

"Woah, dating? We are just friends," Cedric said.

"Just friends?" Krum asked, his eyes alight. Cedric looked at Harry hopelessly.

"Cedric, that's on you." Harry whispered. Cedric nodded glumly. "Krum, her name is Hermione, but I will let you know she is not a quidditch fan."

"I know," Krum said. "Much better than all the others here, either wanting my autograph or just to giggle at me. She is different."

"She's my best friend," Harry said, walking up to Krum and staring him straight in the eye, even if the Bulgarian was almost 6 inches taller. "So if I hear even the slightest complaint from her about you, I will hex you so hard you will have to withdraw from the tournament. We clear?"

"If she is your best friend, I would have it no other way," Krum said, extending his hand. "Provided you fly with me later this year."

"Glad we could come to an agreement," Harry said, shaking his hand. As he left Cedric followed after him. "Looks like you have competition."

"Yeah," Cedric said nervously and then glanced at Harry. "I know we haven't talked about it, but I do like her. I think she thinks I am just being friendly because I want to be friends with you, and while that is true that's not all of it."

"Cedric, I'll let you in on a secret." Harry stopped and Cedric leaned in. "The reason we had to buy formal robes was that there is going to be a Yule Ball." Cedric nodded while looking totally baffled. "I'm probably going with my girlfriend." Cedric still looked clueless so Harry walked away. He had done all but hit Cedric over the head with it. Krum seemed like a decent enough guy, but he was an unknown quantity.

Obviously, he couldn't go to Hermione with this new information, and he suspected Akira already knew. So he went to his best mate Neville, who found the whole situation hilarious and remarkable. More than once during dinner they would look at Hermione and when she glared back both of them would start laughing. Hermione almost stormed off at one point but Lavender managed to calm her down.

"Well, I knew there was a reason you only sent me three letters, and none since November," Harry heard from a familiar voice as the redhead slid into the seat next to Harry on Sunday, November 21st, almost dislodging Dean. "What's this nonsense I hear about you becoming a champion despite the age restrictions?"

"Charlie!" Harry said, thrilled to see him. He was caught between handshake and pat on the back, but Charlie was having none of that and pulled Harry into a hug.

"Are you really a champion Harry?" Harry nodded, and Charlie's face turned white. The twins noticed their older brother and rushed over to say hi and soon the entire table was focused on the ex-Gryffindor seeker. Charlie just managed to slip a piece of paper into Harry's hands before he was mobbed by his ex-classmates.

"The note says to sneak out to Hagrid's hut tonight?" Akira asked. Akira, Minnie and Hermione were sitting in Akira's office, looking at the note. "Do you trust this Charlie fellow?"

"Absolutely," Harry said. "He is a good guy, and he responded to all my letters even if he didn't have to."

"Charlie was a bit of a troublemaker, but he was quidditch captain and a prefect. He's responsible and was a good student. If he wants Harry to go to Hagrid's hut at night, its worth doing it," Minnie added.

"Ok then." Akira glanced at Hermione. "Hermione, can you cast a disillusionment charm?"

"Not too well," Hermione admitted. "We haven't learned it in class yet, and I haven't had much success with it."

"Hmmm," Akira said, and Harry could see he was mulling over his options.

"There is a fairly simple solution Akira," McGonagall said. She had come up with the idea the moment Akira had asked Hermione if she could accompany Harry. It was a good idea for someone to go with Harry. She trusted Charlie Weasley and thought it was great for Harry to have a role model who had the same sense of adventure but was a little more responsible. "I'll go. There is nothing unusual about me going to discuss something with Hagrid, and if it's important I'll just suss the secret out of him."

"Sounds like a good idea," Akira told her. "Harry, I'd use the invisibility cloak when you meet Charlie. Just better to be safe than sorry"

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

3 hours later, right as curfew ended Harry stepped out of the trees, tapping Charlie on the shoulder. The older Weasley whipped around, his wand snapping into his hand but Harry yanked the cloak off his head. Charlie whistled in appreciation and clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Nice cloak there," Charlie said. "I've seen other cloaks, but never anything that leaves no clue whatsoever. Does it muffle sound too?"

"No," Harry told him. "I've just learned to walk quietly."

"Wicked," Charlie commented. "Ok, flip that back on and stay right behind me." Charlie walked over to Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door. The massive groundskeeper emerged from the hut and right behind him was the Beauxbatons headmistress. Harry had to hold back a gasp. If Hagrid didn't know he was here and this was related to the first task as Akira suspected, he couldn't believe that Hagrid was willing to give Fleur an advantage over him because he was attracted to the women as tall as him

"How are they doing, Charlie?" Hagrid asked the dragon handler. Charlie just smiled but then he saw Madame Maxime behind Hagrid and his grin faded.

"Hagrid, you didn't tell me you were bringing a guest."

"Well it wouldn't be fair for the little girl to not know what she is facing."

"Oh, and Harry should be in the dark?" Charlie shot back and without waiting for an answer he strode off. Maxime trailed behind him, Hagrid a few seconds behind. To their left Harry heard a rustling in the bushes and saw Karkaroff moving stealthily through the bushes. It was only because Harry was on high alert that he realized the movement next to him. Harry debated stunning Krum's headmaster but dismissed it almost immediately. The flash of light would alert Maxime, and whatever the task was, Krum deserved to know. He seemed like a decent enough fellow

"Wow," Maxime said as she entered the clearing and Harry heard a sharp intake of breath from Karkaroff, a few feet ahead of him. Then Harry entered the clearing and it took all of his self-control to not run away screaming. 2 dragons towered over the trees, 6 men and 2 women throwing ropes over one with a spiked tail who thrashed around. Harry saw another 2 cages filled with dragons who had already been subdued.

"It was hell getting them here from all over." Charlie said. "We had a few injuries. Barty Crouch said it would be our heads if the dragons were injured. God knows how we are going to get them back to their homes."

"They have to fight them?" Hagrid asked. "That's insane!"

"I don't know the specifics," Charlie told him, "but I doubt it. The man who trained me knows more about dragons than any man or woman alive, and he wouldn't even engage a dragon without at least 4 experienced magic users as backup. We had already been preparing to transport 3, but the fourth champion threw us for a loop."

"Why is that?" Maxime asked.

"You see the one with the spiked tail?" Both the gamekeeper and headmistress nodded. "We have only had it for 2 weeks. The others are still dragons, but not as vicious. Whoever gets that horntail is going to have to watch out for that tail, not to mention dealing with what is essential a wild dragon who will attack anyone or anything that moves." Harry had heard enough and hurried back to the castle. He opened Akira's door and sat heavily on a chair. Akira came in and took one look at Harry, and put a hand in his hair, tousling it a bit.

"That bad?"

"Harry, did you see them?" Minnie asked, bursting into Akira's room.

"What are they facing?"

"Dragons." Harry rubbed his face as if his muscles were locked in place. "I have to deal with a bloody dragon."

"They want you to fight a dragon?" Harry saw the blood drain from Akira's face.

"We don't have to fight it. So that's something," Harry muttered.

"I got some extra information," Minnie said, sitting next to Harry and giving him a half hug with one arm. "They were all nesting mothers."

"So they will be more dangerous and aggressive," Akira murmured. "That's great."

"This is far from ideal," Harry said, "but this might be a blessing in disguise." He straightened as he realized that to his surprise this was not the worst possible scenario and that he was in a position to avoid disaster. "If I had two days to learn about dragons, then I would be best served spending my two days designing a coffin. As it is, I have been corresponding with a dragon handler for almost half a year. I bet that if I go over all the letters, I can come up with a workable plan."

"That may be true," Minnie said. "Charlie Weasley loved dragons even as a student. He is certainly an expert on them."

"Why nesting mothers?" Akira asked himself quietly. He had stopped listening to Harry and McGonagall as they talked, mulling over the extra information Harry's grandmother had given them. There was no real reason to take nesting mothers away from their nests. It would be insane to bring the real eggs with them, but if they didn't the dragons would die fighting rather than be contained. Harry wasn't going to fight the dragon, so he would have a fighters chance, but why nesting mothers. Then a realization hit him and Akira slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the stone in his anger.

"Akira?" Harry asked, rising to his feet.

"There is only one reason to bring nesting mothers, brother," Akira said. "You don't have to fight the dragon. You have to steal an egg."

"I'm sorry?" Harry said, not believing what he had just heard.

"You want my grandson to do what?" Minnie yelled at the top of her voice.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: The big divergence from canon or other fanfiction I've read starts now. I'd like to think this is much more mine.**

Chapter 20: A Busy Night

November, 1994

"Are you 100% it could work?"

"Of course I'm not 100% sure. It's a bloody dragon!" Harry snapped at Hermione. She hunched over a little, hurt in her eyes. Harry sighed and reached over, taking her hand with his in a friendly manner. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I didn't mean to snap. This is just a fairly stressful situation."

"I don't blame you Harry, I never do. Not when you get put in these awful life and death situations."

"Maybe I should just walk into the arena and start blasting it with every spell I know. Seems as good an idea as anything?" Harry said with a half laugh.

"Harry, what about parseltongue? That might work! Dragons are part serpents!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Hermione, you are really amazing at thinking outside the box," Harry said, impressed by Hermione again. "Unfortunately, that won't work."

"Why not?" Hermione asked, annoyed that Harry had complimented her and then shot down her idea instantly. If dragons were reptiles, it was bound to work.

"Honestly, I don't understand the specifics. But Charlie and I discussed it over the summer." Harry shifted through the papers on the desk in front of the desk until he found one labeled Reptiles. He handed the letter to Hermione. "This is where he answered it. It was a little complicated. See if you can make heads or tails of it."

Harry knew it was a lie. It made perfect sense to him given the context of the earlier letters. But he suspected that Hermione might be able to understand anyways. Worst case scenario was that she was confused, but she might understand and see something Harry missed. He didn't know if it would have even the smallest chance of working given how angry the dragons would be, but it might be worth a shot if Hermione could find something.

They had stolen Akira's office to discuss strategies. They were talking through possible ideas and Akira had flooed back to Japan to take care of something for his dad. There was no spell Harry had learned in the last few weeks that could seriously bother a dragon. To be honest, almost nothing could. In his letters Charlie said that an angry dragon would only retreat from a pack of griffins, and that there was no other animal that could frighten them into flight. Harry had asked about boggarts, but Charlie had said dragons don't fear anything. Besides, no creature was stupid enough to have a home in a range that a wild dragons lived in. That was why there were sanctuaries for dragons that dragon handlers filled with animals for food.

One of the letters caught Harry's eye and he grabbed it from the pile and started to read it. A wide smile appeared on his face as he read. This could actually work! He turned to Hermione and tapped the paper.

"Harry?"

"Hermione read the third and fourth paragraph of this one. I think both ideas could work!" Hermione grabbed the letter and read the paragraphs in question in a matter of seconds.

"Harry, this is great!" Hermione said. "But for the first one it requires really advanced magic. I don't know you will be able to do it. The second idea is doable, but you will need to get airborne."

"Yeah, I haven't figured out that part yet, but I think that is more doable than fighting an invincible creature."

"True," Hermione said. "Let me think about how to get airborne. You should practice."

"I'll practice tomorrow," Harry said.

"Harry, the task is tomorrow afternoon!" Hermione was panicked. This was a really bad time for Harry's old habits of laziness and no work ethic to reappear. She narrowed his eyes as Harry didn't reply. Something else was going on, something that Harry was hiding from her. "Harry, what is going on?"

"Division of labor," Harry said. "You work on flight. I have to do something else. I figured by now I would have the first task figured out. This nonsense is insane. If I survive this, the second task can't possibly be worse." Harry walked over to the fireplace in Akira's room and looked at his watch. 5 minutes left. With nothing better to do, Harry dropped and started doing pushups. He wouldn't be able to do his night exercises anyways, so this seemed a good time to get them in, especially since he wasn't working out in the morning with Akira tomorrow. His brother hoped to get back in time for the task, but he had left the day before and when Harry asked him what was going on, Akira hadn't answered which meant it was serious.

"Oh god!" Harry said. "Cedric doesn't know! He'll get killed!"

"Harry, I think a 6th year student will be fine," Hermione said. "You should focus on yourself." Harry shook his head and drew his wand. He pointed it at the fireplace and muttered a few words. Hermione looked at him curiously. "What spell was that?"

"Sorry, it's Japanese. Kind of a trade secret from this summer."

"More secrets?" Hermione asked, a hurt look on her face.

"It's a spell that my martial arts school created. I took a magical oath that any secret spell I learned in Japanese I wouldn't share without the express consent of my master."

"Ok." Hermione understood that perfectly. Spell creators were among the most secretive people in the world. Not only did that level of intelligence mean that they thought at a level far above normal people but sharing a spell you created was an incredibly personal act. Most spellcasters only entrusted new skills to a textbook for a lot of money or to people you trusted. Obviously the martial artists in Harry's school had quite a few geniuses who chose the second option. Not to mention that Hermione did not know nor did she have any intention of learning Japanese, so she would not understand the spell which would impede her ability to cast it nonverbally.

"I have to go," Harry told her. "Do you know where Cedric is?"

"Harry, just because we went to Hogsmeade once, that does not mean that I know where he is?" Hermione replied archly.

"Yeah, but I have no idea." Harry slumped by the door. "I won't be able to find him the night before the task. He will be cooped up somewhere practicing."

"Harry, sometimes you are so dense," Hermione said with a patient smile. "You have a map that shows you where everyone is. Maybe use that?"

"Genius," Harry said, yanking the map out from his bag. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." He scanned the map and saw Cedric in the Ravenclaw tower, on the 5th floor. "Hermione, if I am not back in 5 minutes someone should be coming through the floo in the fireplace. Don't freak out, they are a friend."

"Harry, you can't floo into Hogwarts without Dumbledore's permission," Hermione reminded him. He waved his wand at her, and she gasped in surprise as she realized what Harry had done. "Harry you unlocked the floo network in Hogwarts? That is very dangerous!"

"No, I doubt I could do that," Harry admitted. "Unless you say this specific room, you will still get blocked, so it should be all good. Say hi when he gets here." He bolted out of the room and raced towards the Ravenclaw tower. He paused at the knocker, panting a little from his full speed run up 4 floors as he realized he didn't know the password. "Where is the painting?"

"There is no painting," a short blond girl told him. She was sitting at the wall next to the entrance with a book on her lap and a scroll and quill next to her, clearly doing homework. "You have to answer a riddle. It changes randomly, but I am good at riddles."

"Thanks. Could you help me get in?" Harry asked.

"You are Harry Potter?" The girl asked. "Your head is full of Wrackspurts. I could get them off if you like."

"Actually, just the common room would be nice," Harry said, very confused but discarding that comment immediately. He had no idea why Cedric was in the Ravenclaw tower and not the Hufflepuff common room, but he had no idea how to enter their common room either. The girl here was a stroke off luck.

"Ok," the girl said and stood up and used the knocker.

"Feed me and I live. Water me and I die. What am I?" Harry was totally baffled. Didn't anything that ate need water as well?

"Fire," the girl said, and the door swung open. Harry was about to enter but he paused, looking at the girl again.

"Thank you." She nodded and was turning back to her book when Harry interjected. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"Of course you don't," the girl said. "We have never been introduced." She sat there staring off into the distance and Harry shook his head. He was about to enter when she turned to him and said "I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood."

"Nice to meet you Luna," Harry said. "If you don't mind me asking, why aren't you working in your common room? The floor doesn't seem all that comfortable."

"Well if I do it in the common room the other girls will tease me for being weird. Wrackspurts are afraid of the knocker so this is a good place to work." Harry knew that he had to get to Cedric and then hurry back to Akira's office. But he couldn't help it as anger started to bubble up in him.

"And you don't have shoes on for the same reason?" The girl didn't say anything. "Luna is it?" Luna nodded. "Can you come with me?"

"You are a good person," Luna said as she stood, folding up her book. "You would never enter the cup and break the rule. Thank you for trying to help me, but it will be dangerous. You might get in trouble for attacking other students."

"You know what I am going to do?" Harry was floored by the statement. He had indeed been prepared to cast some spells at the girls Luna identified. He hated bullying of any type, and no matter the consequences he would never let it go unpunished. He learned a long time ago that if you did not respond to bullies it only got worse, especially if the bullying was physical.

"Of course I do," Luna said. "Your Wrackspurts can't wait."

"Well let's give the Wrackspurts a show," Harry said with a grin. He stepped into the common room, Luna right behind him. "Point out the bullies to me." Luna indicated two fourth yeas that Harry knew and 2 fifth years, one with a prefect badge. "Great." He whipped out his wand and stepped out from behind the door. "Stupefy! Locomotor Mortis! Incarcerous!" One girl fell to the ground, covered in ropes. The other two fell to the ground, one of them unconscious. Harry approached the fourth girl his wand out.

He felt a spell behind him and ducked instinctively, turning and smashing down with a balled fist, catching the boy on the collarbone. The would-be-attacker fell to the ground in pain and Harry whirled to face the girl again. She was drawing her wand but it was too slow. Painfully slow, and Harry was ready.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry was precise with his aim so only the wand flew away. "Now, let's have a talk. I understand that you have been bullying this girl here." He indicated Luna. The girl stared at Harry, terrified and unmoving. Harry realized his wand was still out and slipped it back into his robe. He had been slow drawing it and realized he should get a holster so he could draw it quickly. "There, wand away. Have you been bullying this girl?"

"Who Loony Lovegood?" Harry sighed in irritation.

"That's not a nice nickname. Normally I wouldn't hit a girl, I'd just hex her. But I put my wand away, and Hermione has tried to tell me to treat everyone equally." His hand shot out and grabbed the other girl's shirt and yanked her up, staring up at the horrified girl. He glared her down and shook his head. "This will have to work for now. If I ever hear about you bullying anyone again, and that includes nasty nicknames, I will hit you with some real spells. For your own safety, I wouldn't do that." He dropped the girl and shoved her back onto the couch.

"Harry!" Cho rushed down the stairs, her wand in her hand. "What is going on?"

"She is the worst of all of them," Luna muttered, so quiet that only Harry could hear.

"It's a shame you are a bully too Cho," Harry told the older Ravenclaw girl. Any attraction he felt for her vanished the instant Luna muttered the word worst. "I was just teaching them," he indicated the three girls on the ground "an object lesson in what I do to bullies."

"What?" Cho was clearly incensed. "Do you mean bullying Loony Lovegood?" Harry dropped and his leg swept out in a move meant to knock Cho off her feet and she fell to the ground. As she looked up he saw Harry's wand in her face.

"Give me a reason," Harry said, and he could see the terror on her face from the anger in his. She shook her head, and Harry moved his wand away from her. He scanned the room and saw a few other students of different years. They were all staring at Harry silently, some with awe on their faces, but most were fear. "Anyone else?" Harry asked loudly. "I would hate to have to come back here another time."

"Harry?" Cedric asked, bounding down the stairs. "What are you doing here?" He saw the injured girls and his face went hard, drawing his wand. "I thought you were a nice guy. Cleary I was wrong to defend you."

"If you don't consider bullying an offense, then I guess we shouldn't be friends," Harry remarked, his wand coming up to a ready position. He really didn't want to fight Cedric, but if Cedric knew and condoned the bullying, especially since he was probably with Cho, Harry would certainly not tip him off to the dragons.

"What are you talking about?"

"I had a talk with these girls about bullying. None of them are hurt too bad… This time." Harry voice dropped a few registers as he ended his statement. "I simply explained to them that the next time they were bullies, I would do some more permanent damage."

"Cho is this true?" Cedric asked. She didn't say anything.

"Harry shouldn't have attacked them, but the Wrackspurts around his head were very persistent," Luna said, stepping out from behind him. "They don't like bullies either. He missed a few because they are not here."

"Luna?" Cedric looked surprised. Then Harry pointed at her feet, which were devoid of shoes and Cedric's face hardened. "You should have gotten me Harry," Cedric said, disgust on his face. "I would have helped." Cedric didn't bother to hold back the disdain as he looked at Cho. "I see you missed one," Cedric said, moving his wand to the Asian witch.

"Yeah, but she has a splintered shin that will take a few days to Madam Pomfrey heal," Harry explained. I figured that was enough."

"I guess that's fair," Cedric said. He was surprised by Harry's actions, even if he silently agreed with them. It was certainly not how he would have handled the situation. What really surprised him was the decisive and somewhat dangerous action that Harry had taken. One girl was even unconscious and he saw a wand in the corner that must have been a disarming spell. One boy was still whimpering quietly holding his neck. "I assume you were looking for me?"

"Initially," Harry admitted. "Luna, let me know if they bother you again. I will come back for a more…pointed lesson."

"What is to stop us from telling a professor?" The girl who could still speak asked. "You attacked us!"

"Well, then the whole story would come out," Harry said casually. "I'll get a month's worth of detentions and lose a whole bunch of house points. How bad was your bullying? I'm sure the professor you tell would absolutely LOVE to know." The girl shrunk back, clearly afraid of what someone might find out, and Harry forcefully shoved down his anger. He had gambled that the bullying was worse than name calling, and apparently he was right and then some.

"I'll stay quiet," the girl promised and Harry flashed an evil smile.

"I bet you will. But I'd more concerned about your future behavior. I'd love to get an excuse to come back. Cedric, come on," Harry said as he started walking out of the room. The door swung open as he approached it and Cedric was close behind him.

"That wasn't a little extreme?" Cedric asked. "I obviously take no stock in bullying, but 4 of them will need to go to the nurse."

"First of all, the three girls I jinxed should be fine. Simple counter curses would work just fine. For Cho, she ignored my warning. If you make a threat and don't enforce the punishment, then why would I even bother?" Harry ran his hand through his hair, straightening out a little bit. "Do you know what a Wrackspurts is?"

"Doesn't sound familiar," Cedric said, accepting the blatant subject change. "But Luna is a little odd.

"You know her?" Harry asked.

"The Lovegoods grew up right near us," Cedric explained. "A nodding acquaintance with her father. Her mom died when she was just a kid. Ever since then…"

"Huh. I guess I understand that. Still, Wrackspurts are new to me." Harry tried to think if Wrackspurts sounded familiar but was distracted by the real reason he had come to look for Cedric. "Oh right. Cedric, the first task is dragons."

"What?" Cedric looked more confused that afraid, and Harry realized he had not explained it properly.

"The task is to get past a dragon," Harry said. "I think we are supposed to steal an egg from a nesting dragon, but I don't know that for sure."

"That's insane!" Cedric cried. "We will all die."

"Well, Krum and Fleur know too," Harry said. "Hagrid showed Madame Maxime, and Karakoff was sneaking around. I learned a little while ago. I should have told you, but it slipped my mind with my preparations."

"No, it's ok," Cedric said. Harry could tell he was already trying to come up with a plan. "I've got a few hours tonight and tomorrow to try and figure something out."

"It's not ok," Harry told Cedric forcefully. "All of the champions have had 3 days to prepare, except for you. To even the playing field, there is an idea I can give you." Quickly, Harry outlined the plan to Cedric.

"Harry, I don't want to take your idea-"

"I have some other ideas," Harry said, interrupting Cedric. "I probably can't use that idea properly. I don't have the skill. If you can then I would go with it. I know a little bit about dragons, and I think it will work." Harry turned and started walking away. "Just something to think about," Harry called over his shoulder. When he was out the view, Harry picked up the speed and dodged a few stray students. He was almost back to Akira's office when he collided with someone. He managed to grab them and spin around so that he hit the floor and they landed on top.

"Harry?!" Susan got up and offered Harry a hand up. "Where are you off to so quickly?"

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I am in a hurry," Harry said, brushing off some of the dirt from his cloak. Harry rolled his shoulders and felt a small twinge in the right shoulder. Horror descended over Harry. The last thing he needed when he was trying to get by a dragon was an injury. Maybe his surprise guest could check on the shoulder.

"Harry, is everything ok?" Susan grabbed his arm as he tried to turn away. "I know the first task is tomorrow."

"Don't remind me," Harry said with a half-laugh. "It's a nightmare. Odds are I'll probably die. I have a few ideas and Hermione has helped out."

"You know what the task is?" Susan asked. "We have to tell Cedric!"

"Literally just did." Akira's door popped open behind Susan, and Hermione poked her head out.

"Harry, you didn't tell me who…" Hermione saw Susan standing right next to him. "Oh, hi Susan." Hermione looked at Harry, a question in her eyes. "You told Susan about your godfather, right? Is she coming to meet Remus too?"

"Who is Remus?" Susan asked, but even as she spoke Harry's mind was whirling over the possibilities. Susan knew about Sirius, and she accepted it. When he had spoken to Remus, his old professor had alluded to the fact that he would pass on the story about the crazy events unfolding to his godfather. Maybe with the combined intellects of Hermione, Susan, and Remus they might be able to come up with a safe way for Sirius to stay in England.

"You know what?" Harry said, guiding Susan towards Hermione. "The more the merrier." Harry let both girls into the room and then shut the door. There was a man near the fireplace who flipped a hood up over his face as he saw Susan. Harry shook his head with a rueful smile. Remus was cautious to a fault sometimes.

"Harry?" Remus's voice called out, a little muffled from under the cloak.

"Remus!" Harry cried out and rushed across the room to hug him. Remus hugged him back, and Harry, who was now just a few inches below Remus used his shoulder to knock his hood off. Susan saw the hood go off and it took her a few seconds to place the familiar face. Her eyes widened as she recognized Professor Lupin.

"Hello Professor Lupin," Hermione said, confirming Susan's theory. Susan thought back a month ago to when Harry had trusted her with the story of Sirius Black. Remus Lupin had featured heavily in that story, and Susan looked around curiously. Perhaps she would have the chance to meet the mysterious Sirius Black. It was one thing to hear Harry tell her the story. It was another thing entirely to see the supposed madman herself.

"Looking for Sirius?" Harry asked Susan with a lopsided smile. "I doubt he is coming. Right Remus?"

"Telling everyone out secrets Harry?" Remus said. Harry blushed a little. "No, he isn't coming," Remus continued. "I was able to get in contact with him, like you asked. Unfortunately, he did not listen to my advice. It's not your fault at all, Harry. He has probably been looking for an excuse to come back and meet with you. It just so happens that your godfather now has that excuse."

"No Remus!" Harry said. "I specifically said he should not come back!" Harry's voice got higher and louder as he spoke. "It is way too dangerous with the extra security." He glanced back at Hermione. "Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you. Akira and I noticed it a few weeks ago. Obviously Professor Moody is on high alert, but there are almost always some aurors watching me. They aren't too good at it. I've made a game of slipping away from them. Makes me wonder if it is a good career path."

Remus started laughing at that statement. All three people in the room looked at him oddly, for different reasons. Harry was baffled because it seemed like a perfect career for him. Hermione was surprised that Harry was thinking about what career might suit him before career counseling in their 5th year. Susan was confused because somewhat like Harry would be much better suited for politics, and even if he hated the spotlight he must know how strong his influence on other people was. But Remus was laughing for none of those reasons.

"Harry, you would be the worst auror in the history of the department."

"Why would you say that?" Harry looked angrily around the room. Hermione shrugged her shoulders, clearly confused.

"Harry, if you saw a death eater attacking someone, would you fight them?" Remus asked.

"Of course!"

"Even if your commanding officer told you not to?" Remus asked, a sly grin crossing his face.

"Oh." Harry grimaced a little. "Yeah, I guess I am not the best at following orders."

"Harry, when you look at your life you don't follow orders at all," Hermione noted. "You are just incredibly lucky that it works out every time."

"Well, I had no business beating Voldemort at age 1," Harry replied. "I feel like my chances against dementors basilisks and Voldemort 10 years later are better. Remus, what does Hayashi-Sensei always say about luck?" Remus took a deep sigh. "Come on, say it."

"You make your own luck with hard work." Remus said. "Fine," the werewolf admitted. "You may have a point. But Hermione is right. Always breaking the rules, like going after the man who killed your family is not a good thing and an urge you would be best served to curb."

"It's not like I always go out looking for trouble," Harry complained.

"No," Hermione replied. "No, it's more like you take out a full page ad in the Daily prophecy with specific trouble in mind with a date and time. Don't be late, or I'm sure I can go out and get some more trouble?"

"Thats…" Harry trailed off as every eye in the room stared at him, "accurate."

"So maybe not auror after all," Susan added.

"Maybe," Harry admitted. Then he narrowed his eyes at Remus. "Remus!" Harry couldn't hide his frustration. "Don't try and distract me from the main problem. Tell Sirius not to come!"

"I can't do that," Remus admitted. "Sirius probably put up a mail ward, and he wouldn't listen even if we could get in touch with him." Remus walked over to Harry and put an arm around him. "It is touching you are worried about him. But Sirius knows what he is doing. If 10 years in Azkaban didn't break him, I think he can probably avoid a few auror patrols."

"Maybe he won't have to," Susan said. Everyone in the room looked at her with surprise. "Harry, I have a confession to make. Just promise you will let me tell you everything before you react. Also, I'd appreciate it if you don't kill me."

"Kill you?" Hermione asked. "Susan, what did you do?"

"Well, I told Harry I would talk to my aunt about the Sirius case. It didn't go exactly as planned."

"What happened?" Harry asked, more than a little concerned.

"Well, I might have given away a little too much when I asked my questions. My aunt is clever sometimes, and I accidentally said that I had the information from someone else." Susan told him. Harry took a deep breath. The old Harry, the one that couldn't knock out everyone in the room without a wand would have lost his temper immediately. But the deep breath calmed him down enough to realize that there was more to this story.

"That's not enough for me to want to kill you," Harry explained. "Did you say I was the one who you got the information from?"

"Please!" Susan snorted in derision. "I might have made a mistake, but I'm not an idiot. I told her Dumbledore let it slip. As it turned out that was the real blunder."

"Really? Your aunt wouldn't dare go after Dumbledore," Remus said. "Amelia Bones is brave, but that is foolhardy."

"That's not why it is a mistake," Harry said as he realized what Susan had left out. Her aunt was indeed clever, and it might have been best if she had implicated Harry. Even the head of the DMLE wouldn't arrest the boy-who-lived. She might try and question Harry, but it was unlikely that Harry would give up anything incriminating and during that question he could force some information out of Amelia Bones as well. "So what reason did you give?"

"Reason?" Harry realized Hermione was a few steps behind.

"Hermione, Dumbledore is one of the few people that Amelia wouldn't go after. But he didn't become the most influential wizard in Europe by randomly sharing state secrets. Someone else had to be in the room, someone who was ok with Susan's presence." Harry explained, but then his eyes widened as he reached the only conclusion.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I figure we can fake it for a few days when she shows up," Susan said.

"Oh God," Remus said, holding his head and sitting down.

"Ok, can someone spell it out for someone who isn't in Slytherin?" Hermione snapped.

"Remus?" Harry said, taking a seat as well.

"The only reason Dumbledore would let be in the room would be if Harry asked for her to be there. And since this is the first year she has really interacted with Harry, that means they are not simply friends. It means that he is Susan's boyfriend."

"Yikes," Hermione said.

"Look, she is coming over New Year's. We can pretend for a brief time and maybe she can get the kiss-on-sight order for Sirius cancelled." Susan shrugged. "Honestly, I'm lucky that I got her to agree to stay for only 2 days and not interrogate you about your intentions." Harry didn't even bother calling out Susan on her luck statement. There was too much going on in his head.

Susan sat there looking at all the reactions. Harry and Professor Lupin just looked like someone had told them their dog had died, which wasn't entirely an unfair reaction. Sirius was a dog Animagus after all, and it was very possible that her aunt arriving and putting Harry under a microscope would mean that there was a good chance Sirius would be discovered. Hermione came to the same conclusion and the look she gave Susan was best described as loathing.

None of this affected the young Ms. Bones. She hadn't lied, just left things out. She had not intended for the situation to play out the way it had. But all of this had happened recently. More specifically, one thing had preceded all of these events that changed everything. Susan wasn't pleased that Daphne was going to be his date to the ball. She was even less pleased that Harry was seriously dating her, and from the look of it was in the process of falling in love with her.

Susan didn't like Harry in that way, not yet. But that did not mean that she was more than happy to have Daphne dating him, for 2 key reasons. First, Susan wanted to keep the option open to pursue Harry, who was interesting and surprisingly smart and funny in a way no other guy she had met was. He also understood something no one else, not even Hannah could. The death of parents at early age was a weird thing to build a relationship on, but Susan preferred to have that out of the way early.

Susan had no problem admitting her first reason was selfish and a little immature. Her second reason would be much more acceptable in public. Daphne and Harry were both incredibly strong-willed individuals. They were a decent couple, but Susan could see them breaking up and unconsciously forcing their friends to take sides. To Susan's surprise, Daphne had been become quick friends with Hermione. Susan suspected that Harry had encouraged Daphne to be more friendly, and Hannah had become friends with Daphne as well.

Susan had a bunch of friends in older years who complained about breakups and how breakups ruined friend groups. Susan would be angry and frustrated if a breakup between Harry and Daphne fractured their group, which would be inevitable. But Hannah was finally starting to make real progress with Neville. A week ago Hannah had confided in her that Neville had finally kissed her. It took another 3 days Neville to find the courage him to talk to Hannah again, but susan's best friend was happier than she had ever been.

If Daphne and Harry broke up in a nasty way, Neville would choose Harry and Hannah would choose Daphne. Neville and Hannah's relationship was far too fragile to withstand the stress that would come from these issues. Harry and Daphne would hurt a lot, and would need their friends. If Neville and Hannah had to spend a lot of time away from each other, not only would their relationship crumble, but it would never be in a position to resume after a break.

With all that in mind Susan had created a scenario where Neville and Hannah could get back together for a brief period of time during winter if Daphne and Harry had a nasty split. If Daphne and Harry were still together, Neville and Hannah's relationship would be strong enough to survive time apart. The fact that Daphne would not like Harry pretending to be dating someone else and would not understand because Harry really did not want to spread information about Sirius around only sweetened the deal.

"Well, this is a lot to wrap my head around," Harry admitted. He looked at his watch and groaned. "I have to go dance with death at 2pm tomorrow. I'd like the chance to sleep 12 hours, and practice, and we are getting awful close to a time when I can't do that.

"Bed?" Hermione said?

"Bed," Harry said and slunk out of the room, clearly exhausted. Hermione almost had to put an arm under his arm to get him up the stairs.

"Ms. Bones, a moment?" Professor Lupin called. Susan hung back.

"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt about your intentions towards Harry. This is neither the time or place to get into the complexity of this situation, especially as I am given to understand Harry has recently started dating someone who is not you."

"What would you like to discuss then?"

"I will not pretend to be very close to your aunt. However, she was only a year behind us in school. I was not close to her, but Sirius always had a thing for smart girls from Hufflepuff. Until our 7th year. I thought he was just maturing. But the more I think about the end of our final year, I see him as sad rather than mature. I don't think you get to the head of the DMLE by ignoring a direct order, even if it is wrong."

"Are you asking if Amelia and Sirius were more than friends?" Susan asked.

"No," Remus said. "I am confident in that fact. My question is whether or not Amelia would let her feelings affect her job."

"That depends," Susan said. "If she gets a chance to speak him in private, maybe. If it is a public confrontation, she'll take him into custody and it doesn't sound like he would fight back."

"Well, this is a fun mess we have found ourselves in," Remus said. He was in yet another impossible situation with Sirius. He would have to tell his friend the head of the DMLE was coming to Hogwarts over New Years. If Sirius hadn't been involved with Amelia, then he would probably relish the challenge of tweaking her nose. But it seemed more likely that Sirus had been involved with her.

"Ms. Bones, you should probably go to bed. Try not to get caught by any professor's after curfew," Remus said. Susan walked out of the room. Remus stared at the fire for a few minutes, and then closed his eyes. What was he getting himself into?


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: When multiple chapters will cover a single day, I will note that day. It's safe to say a lot will happen the day of the first task.**

Chapter 21: Beware the Fire

November 24th, 1994

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Cedric asked as Harry walked into the tent.

"Not much," Harry admitted.

"Harry, can I ask you a weird question?" Cedric asked.

"I'd prefer you didn't, but I won't stop you by force," Harry said. It was a weak joke, but Cedric allowed it to pass. It was understandable Harry was stressed out. He was barely keeping it together himself. Nevertheless, he needed an answer to the question.

"Harry, you look like you could snap my neck in half with one arm." Harry shrugged noncommittally. "How did you get in such good shape?"

"Diet and exercise," Harry told him. Cedric patted him on the shoulder. "There are no shortcuts."

"Well, please don't snap my neck too much," Cedric told him with a weak joke of his own. The tent flap swung open and Krum and Karkaroff walked in. Cedric say Harry tense a tiny bit as his glance flickered over Karkaroff. Now was not the time to examine that. Cedric resolved that if he survived this, he would try and figure out why Harry was bothered by Karkaroff.

"Cedric," Akira said, popping up behind him. "Harry tells me you have a plan?"

"Nice of you to show up," Cedric said, but with no real venom in his voice.

"I did tell you I might miss significant periods of time," Akira told him. "And that we could never study in the morning."

"I'm not actually upset," Cedric admitting. "I could have trained morning to evening with you and I still would have been in trouble." He beckoned Akira away from the other contestants as Fleur entered with her giant of a headmistress. "What Harry probably didn't tell you is that the plan he gave me was something he created. He said he has something else, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried."

"Don't worry about Harry," Akira told Cedric. "He has a few tricks up his sleeve. If it really gets bad, the professors will jump in."

"Can the professors really stop a rampaging dragon?" Cedric whispered.

"I can slow it down," Akira said. "Slow it down enough for Harry to get away. Who knows what Dumbledore could do. But if I was you, I'd watch his performance with interest."

"Well, here we are all!" Barty Crouch said, stepping into the tent. He was holding a squirming sack. "I'd like all of you to reach in here and take out one thing." Cedric stepped forward and took out a small dragon he recognized as a Swedish Short Snout with a small 1 around its neck. He took a breath of relief. At lunch, Cedric had a chance to talk quickly with Harry. Facing a dragon was bad enough. At least he wasn't facing the most dangerous one. Then Cedric saw Fleur draw the Welsh Green, and Krum reached in. Krum almost gave a small smile as he withdrew a red dragon.

All three champions looked at Harry, and Cedric could see Harry silently cursing. The youngest champion reached into the bag, and his small dragon has a nasty spiked tail with a 4 on it. Harry would go last, and he would face the one dragon that, judging from the faces of the other champions, was the one everyone wanted to face least. For one moment, Cedric debated jumping forward and offering to trade. He took a half step forward, but Akira grabbed him.

"Don't do something stupid," Akira hissed. "Harry will be fine. Don't insult him by trading."

"Fine."

"You all have a smaller version of what you will face in the arena," Barty Crouch was saying. "They will all be protecting a clutch of eggs. We have placed a golden egg in each nest. You must get that egg, because it will provide a crucial clue for the 2nd task. You will lose points if you destroy the other eggs. Mr. Diggory, I believe you are first?" Cedric nodded and stepped right past Barty Crouch. A flash went off, and he saw Rita Skeeter waiting at the flap leading to the challenge.

"How does it feel to be-" Akira appeared at his side, snapping her quill. He grabbed the camera from the cameraman and smashed it on the ground.

"OK." Cedric took a deep breath and stepped into the arena. Nerves, fears and worries went out the window. He was one of the Hogwarts champions. He had friends, family, and teachers counting on him. The time for planning, worrying, and learning was over. It was time for action.

There was a literal roar from the crowd and Cedric hesitated with his first step. Eventually he forced himself forward and the noise got even louder. He looked out and saw a variety of rocks arrayed on the ground surrounding something slightly obscured from view. He ducked behind the nearest rock and peered around it. Cedric yanked his head back behind cover just as grey eyes flicked over his position.

There was no doubting it. Sitting there on a nest was a long lizard with huge wings and a silver sheen. There was a tiny part of Cedric's brain that rejected everything that Harry and even Barty Crouch had told him, but that part died as his eyes registered the creature in front of him. He had to get past a dragon and somehow get an egg. He took a deep breath and readied his wand. Cedric stepped out from beyond the rock and pointed the wand at one of the rocks near the dragon.

With a simple spell, Cedric turned the rock into a dog. The dog yelped in surprise and raced away from the dragon, who took a half step forward towards the dog and then another. As Cedric stepped towards the nest, the dragon turned his eyes on Cedric, who had to jump to the side to avoid a claw swipe. The crowd went silent as the dog raced away ignored as the dragon turned its full attention to Cedric.

Cedric silently thanked Harry. If he did not have a back-up plan, he would be dead right now, but he did have a back-up plan courtesy of a boy 2 years younger than him. Cedric cast a partial obscuring charms on the two rocks closest to him and then turned and raced away. The dragon reacted to both spells and peered suspiciously at both rocks. Eventually, she bounded towards the one on the left and crushed it with one massive bite. Instantly Cedric reversed course and as he headed at the dragon and aimed his wand at the rock left untouched, turning it into a deer.

Harry had told him that the dragon would need to be stimulated, but once its blood was up, it would instinctively chase anything that had been recognized as prey, and there was one animal that dragon handlers put in enclosures more than anything else. The dragon saw the deer and rose up with a roar and a jet of fire. It reached for the deer, who nimbly stepped out of range. The dragon snapped at the hindquarters of the deer, and Cedric saw for the first time the chain around the neck of the dragon.

"That's not good," Cedric said to himself. The dragon would literally be stuck to the nest, and while that might make it easier to not die, his plan depended on getting the dragon off the nest. "Ok then." Cedric turned the deer back into a rock and shot it up into the sky. The dragon's eyes followed the rock, but then she heard Cedric racing towards her and changed targets.

The next part of this insane plan Harry had suggested required near perfect transfiguration skills and an iron nerve, but Cedric stood in front of the dragon, legs trembling a little as the dragon took a deep breath and Cedric saw the fire building up in the creature's mouth. Then as the dragon was about to incinerate Cedric, the rock dropped in between them.

The fire spilled around the rock as Cedric threw his body right into the rock and curled up as small as possible. Even though he was right behind the rock he felt the heat of the flame. It felt like an age, but finally the fire stopped, and Cedric stepped out from behind the rock and at the same time fired a spell that turned the rock into a deer.

Seeing the same animal that had escaped it before, the dragon's claw snaked out with incredible speed and the deer didn't have the chance to dodge as the dragon cut it down. It roared in triumph at its victory, but in that second Cedric was next to the dragon, scooping up the egg and racing away. The moment he was outside the nest the dragon had finished with the deer and was looking for new prey, but Cedric was prepared.

He levitated another two rocks a few feet and turned one into a bird. The dragon roared at the bird which fled, but Cedric had cast an obscuring spell on the second rock which the dragon fixed with a steely glare. Cedric raced past the gate on the other side of the arena, which slammed closed, the task completed and the champion safe.

"Yeah!" Cedric cheered and the crowded erupted in cheers as Cedric waved to them, holding the golden egg above his head "Let's go!" Cedric's pulse was still racing and his palms were clammy from fear, but he felt more alive than he ever had before. He had been alone, against a creature that wizards three times his age would never dare to even look at. But Cedric had outthought it, tricked it, and stole an egg!

His elation vanished as he saw a few dragon handlers rushing into the cage to subdue the dragon, and his mind turned to the other champions. He had almost died the moment he entered the arena, almost caught by surprise by the shocking speed of the dragon's attack. His victory was nice, but now he would be forced to watch his fellow champions go against similar creatures. What's more, Harry had given him the idea that allowed Cedric to deal with the dragon and now he would face an even more dangerous version of the creature. The platform Cedric was on began to rise, and in a few seconds he was in front of the judges, a raucous cheering crowd of his classmates on either side.

Barty Crouch raised a wand and a smoke 9 floated out. Ludo Bagman, the other tournament organizer gave him a 10, as did Dumbledore. Maxime was next, and she gave Cedric an 8. Then Cedric turned to Karkaroff, who sneered at Cedric and shot a 6 into the year. The crowd started booing, but Karkaroff turned away, his 6 lingering in the air.

The scoring made sense to Cedric. It seemed like the score would be out of 50 and each judge could give a maximum of 10. Akira had told him the judges would score him on time, execution of plans and skills, and other factors depending on the task. It seemed like not getting injured and making sure the dragon did not destroy the eggs would lead to a high score. He had done very well, and Madame Maxime had been very generous giving him an 8, especially since he was not her student and even though he had clearly done a good job, she was by no means obliged to help.

It was clear that Karkaroff was going to give Victor an edge, potentially one that was undeserved by lowering the score of the other contestants. Cedric remembered how Harry had been staring at the other headmaster in the tent and knew that there was something going on that was more than simple dislike, and that if this scoring continued, Harry might blow his top. For someone who was surprisingly even keeled, the oddest stuff could set Harry off.

Not many people would pick a fight with an entire house the day before facing a dragon because of bullying, and moments like that made Cedric wish he had half of the courage that Harry had. Regardless, Cedric knew he would have to keep an eye on Harry's interactions with the Durmstrang headmaster. There was chance that with all his martial art skills, Harry could probably give the headmaster a good fight, but Cedric knew nothing good would come of that.

"Well done," Akira said, throwing an arm around Cedric and guiding him up to a box of seats right below the judges. "The only legit points you lost was because the dog gambit didn't work. What possessed you to use a dog?"

"Well, that was the initial idea," Cedric admitted. "If it didn't work, I figured it would at least rile the dragon up."

"The deer and bird were Harry's idea?" Akira asked.

"Once he told me about deer and riling up the dragon, I figured out the rest," Cedric explained. "But the bird was entirely his idea. I hadn't even considered an exit strategy." Cedric looked below and saw a new dragon was crouched nearby the eggs, and recognized it as the dragon Fleur had pulled, which Barty Crouch had called the Welsh Green.

"Well you have earned a nice break," Akira said as Cedric leaned back in his seat. "Any idea what Krum and Fleur are planning to do?"

"I don't even know what Harry is planning to do," Cedric said. Akira just chuckled. "I'm guessing you do?"

"I have an idea," Akira said. "Hermione was panicking about both of you this morning."

"She was?" Cedric was a little surprised by that.

"Even mentioned you by name," Akira told him, but Cedric saw a knowing grin on his professor's face. "After she was done worrying about how Harry seemed really relaxed about the whole thing."

"He is a little relaxed," Cedric said. "It's eerie."

"It's a state of mind crucial to his plan," Akira explained. There was a roar from the crowd as Fleur stepped out from the tent, and Akira pointed at the Beauxbatons champion. "Time for the worst show ever. The please don't die show."

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

Fleur stepped from the tent and instantly took in the arena. The students arrayed all around her, and there were a bunch of giant rocks that surrounded the object of the next few minutes. Madame Maxime had not been lying. There was a giant green dragon crouched protectively over a nest of eggs.

Fleur steeled herself and stepped behind the closest rock. There was a faint smell of sulfur in the air that made her horribly nervous. A dragon was a dangerous creature, and if it managed to catch her with fire, she was unprepared and had no counter measure. But she had been chosen by the goblet for a reason, and it was time to show why.

She took s few minutes to gather her magic and clear her mind. Eventually, Fleur moved smoothly to the next rock, a few feet closer to the dragon than before and took a deep breath. She stepped out from behind the rock and took aim at the dragon. "Somnium!" The dragon looked at her curiously, and then opened its mouth and Fleur saw the red-hot burning glow. She stepped back behind her rock just as flame scorched past her.

Fleur tried her best not to panic. As a Veela, her charms would be her best chance to influence a dragon. It didn't look like a simple sleep hex would work, and she was fairly far away from the dragon, so she was not about to give up on the plan she had worked out. First she would have to get closer the dragon.

Fleur chose a rock across the arena and with a whip of her wand sent it airborne. The dragon turned angrily at the noise, and Fleur took the opportunity, moving 10 feet forward to a rock closer to the dragon. The sulfur smell was stronger now, both from the surrounding area and from the fact a fire breathing dragon was less than 50 feet away from her. But she couldn't stay behind the rock.

"Somnium" This time the dragon wavered, and one eyelid closed. Fleur moved back behind the rock as she heard the dragon adjust position. Clearly the charm could affect the dragon, and distance was a factor. Fleur peered around the rock, but the nearest rock was too far for her to run, even if she was able to distract the dragon again. Her only option was to make the spell stronger. Luckily, she was prepared for that eventuality.

"Sonorus Somnium!" Fleur combined the amplifying charm with the sleep hex and watched as the dragon's eyes closed and its head dipped to the ground. She took a breath but the dragon was motionless. Fleur crept towards the dragon, desperate to not wake it. She was within 20 feet, and then she was literally next to it. She looked around and saw a golden glint on the far side of the nest

Fleur wasn't about to take it slow anymore. She rushed around the nest and grabbed the egg. Behind her she heard a noise, and she didn't need to look to know what had happened. In her haste, she had awoken the dragon. Fleur tapped the egg and realized it would not crack under a little pressure, so she tossed it in the air and rolled forward. The jet of fire just missed, and Fleur jumped in the air, corralling the egg.

She raced to the open gate and felt it smack close behind her. She took a deep breath, feel her heartbeat slow down. She put the egg down and enfolded her body with a small hug, as if making sure she was all there. She felt a little heat behind her, and saw her skirt was on fire.

"I'll get that," a man said, stepping forward and with a wave of his wand the fire slowed, and then a small jet of water flowed over the fire, quenching it.

"Thank you," Fleur said, smoothing out her now shortened skirt. "I didn't realize it was on fire."

"Yeah, I figured that you might be busy running from the beauty," The man said with a cocky smile.

"Beauty?" Fleur asked, very confused.

"You don't think she is beautiful?" Fleur shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, come on. That is a beautiful dragon if I've ever seen one. Perfect specimen of a welsh green." Fleur felt the platform grind beneath her and she began to rise. "Good luck with the rest of your tasks!" The man called and then he disappeared from view as the platform stopped, exposing her to the cheering students. She gave a half curtesy to the judges, and then held up her egg. She had done well, and now all that was left was to receive the scores.

Barty Crouch nodded and gave her a 9. Ludo Bagman gave her an 8, and Dumbledore extended his wand and the smoke from his wand took the form of a 9. Madame Maxim gave her a 10, and Fleur smiled gently. Then Karkaroff raised his wand, and she heard an intake of breath from the crowd. A dark light spilled from his wand, taking the shape of a 5. The crowd started to boo, which Karkaroff clearly couldn't care less about. Madame Maxim said something sharply to him as she walked past him to collect Fleur.

"Don't worry about Karkaroff, he is a stupid and cruel man. You did well," Fleur's headmaster said. "You are only two points behind Mr. Diggory, and there is a long way to go.

"Thank you," Fleur said, as Maxime indicated a seat next to Diggory, in a box right below the judges. Madam Maxime patted her shoulder and then left her to sit next to Cedric. A man in a professor's robe rose from Cedric's side and gave her a nod as he left the two champions together.

"Nice job," Cedric said as Fleur sat. "I never would have thought of charming a dragon."

"I am lucky," Fleur told him. "My charms are strong than usual because of my Veela heritage. So my amplifying charm made it possible to put it to sleep." She grabbed the shortened fringe of the skirt and held it up. "My skirt was not so lucky."

"Well, it was a good strategy. I'm happy it didn't kill you," Cedric said with a small smile.

"I'm happy you are immune to my allure, thought I would expect it from a champion," Fleur told him.

"Well, I have to fight it, but yeah, I'm happy too," Cedric admitted. "Though I think Harry isn't affected at all. I guess allure isn't more powerful than an imperius curse."

"Who put him under an imperius curse?" Fleur asked, horrified.

"Oh, one of our teachers tested it on all the students earlier this year," Cedric said. "He is a bit of a nut, but it was a good lesson. I talked about it with Harry one of our training sessions, and apparently he was one of the few people in the school could break it entirely on his own."

"That's amazing," Fleur said, her voice a little breathless. "He is so young too. I do not know many people who can do that."

"Yeah, I've had the chance to spend a lot of time with him this year," Cedric said. "Just hope that none of the tasks are duels. Harry would wipe the floor with us."

"Wipe the floor?" Fleur asked, unfamiliar with what Cedric was saying.

"Sorry, it's a saying," Cedric said, realizing Fleur was confused. "I mean in a duel, Harry is far stronger than the rest of the champions. I wouldn't bet against him even if it was 3 on 1."

"That little boy?" Fleur said with a scoff.

"Harry may be shorter than me, but trust me on that," Cedric said. "He has beat me more than once while we train, and without much effort. The guy who just left," Cedric said, indicating Akira who was now conversing with McGonagall "trained Harry all summer. He may just be a fourth year, but if there was no age line I think he would have had a real shot at being champion.

"Ridiculous," Fleur said.

"Maybe," Cedric told her with a shrug. "I'd be dead without his help." Cedric leaned over, his mouth inches from her ear. "He told me about the dragons and gave me a strategy."

"Why would he do that?" Fleur asked, clearly confused.

"Well, he said that you and Krum already knew, and that he wanted to even the playing field. Besides, isn't a dragon dangerous enough?" Fleur nodded in realization. Clearly she was not the only one who was getting secret information. "Hey, do you want to join our training sessions?"

"I think not," Fleur said, turning away angrily.

"Fine, have it your way," Cedric said, his tone sour. He scooted away from Fleur, muttering under his breath. Fleur turned back to the arena and saw that Krum's dragon, the Chinese Fireball was in place. The crowd was roaring in anticipation, but Fleur tuned them out and focused on the Bulgarian, who stepped out of the tent.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

Chapter 22: Harry's Plan

November 24th, 1994

Harry sat in the tent, taking deep breaths. Krum had just left the tent to duel with his dragon, and he was next. Against the worst dragon imaginable. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. He was alone in the tent, with just his thoughts for his company. Right now, his thoughts were far from his best friends. It was easy to imagine being crushed by the giant tail of the Hungarian Horntail. It was even in the name.

"Harry?" Harry was whipped out of his thoughts, and he looked around curiously. "Harry!" The call was more insistent and he saw a bulge in the tent. Curiously he went over to it and poked it. "Ow!" Harry heard. He recognized the voice and his eyes widened.

"Susan?" Susan slipped through the entrance, a frown on her face.

"Don't poke me, Harry!" Susan glared at him, hands on her hips. "It hurt."

"Susan, what in the world are you doing here?" Harry asked, just as the crowd roared. "Shouldn't you be, I don't know, watching the challenge?"

"Eh, Cedric and Fleur did fine. So my friends are good. I don't really care what happens to the star of the Bulgarian quidditch team."

"You are friends with Fleur?" Harry asked, surprised. "I figured she didn't have too many friends, definitely not any here."

"I've met here before," Susan explained. "Her father is some bigwig in the French government. Used to be head of their auror department, so he knows my aunt. She's actually pretty nice once you get past the icy exterior. But you are right, she doesn't have too many friends, so I hang around with her occasionally."

"I assume it helps that you don't hang out around her with guys who can only drool," Harry said with a laugh.

"Yeah, even Cedric is a little affected," Susan told him. "He told me about it, and I explained Veela heritage to him, and how it exists in every girl who is even part Veela. But you aren't affected by it?"

"I guess it's like the imperious curse, and you know that doesn't affect me," Harry said. "Trying to mess with my mind usually doesn't go well for others."

"Whatever," Susan said. "We are getting off topic." There was another roar, this time of shock from the crowd. "Krum must almost be done. Listen, you are facing a dragon. It looks like you have to steal an egg from it."

"Susan, Barty Crouch told us all," Harry told her gently. "Did the deer trick work for Cedric?"

"That was your idea?" Susan asked, surprise evident on her face.

"I did tell you last night I went to warn him," Harry reminded her. "Good thing it worked too. I suspected a dog might not do the trick."

"But if you do the same thing as him, you will be penalized!" Susan said.

"Well, then I guess it's good I won't have to do the same thing," Harry said. "I gave Cedric a plan, but I'm not the best at transfiguration of live objects. Surprisingly, I didn't show all my cards."

"Oh?"

"Go back to your seat," Harry urged her as he heard a sound coming from the front of the tent. "I promise, I'll be fine." Susan gave him a quick hug and then disappeared out the way she had come.

"Does young Harry have a girlfriend?" He heard from the man who had just entered the tent from the arena side.

"Shut up, Charlie," Harry snapped back. He turned and saw a smiling Charlie Weasley standing at the tent entrance. "Shouldn't you be switching out a dragon right about now?"

"Eh, I'm a senior handler," Charlie told him. "They can handle it without me." Charlie walked over to him, and Harry realized that despite his joking manner, he was worried. "Harry, the horntail is no joke."

"Charlie, do you think I would be here if it was a joke?" Harry responded.

"Be serious for a moment," Charlie told him. "Listen, technically you have to get the egg before we can step in to restrain the dragon. But if you shoot up red sparks, I'll jump in and bring the other handlers with me. We'll take the bad boy down."

"Charlie, if the dragon gets restrained before I get the egg, I might as well leave school," Harry told him. "I'm touched by your worry, really I am. But trust me, I'm fine."

'Ok," Charlie said. "I doubt you want a hug from me more than your girlfriend, so I'll just say be careful."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Harry yelled at Charlie, who left the tent chuckling. It was nice to know that people cared, but his concentration was entirely busted. It took a few deep breaths, but the comment from Charlie stuck with him, and he realized who he hadn't talked to since learning about the dragon. "Oh, Daphne is going to kill me," Harry said with a groan. "Maybe I should just let the dragon kill me. It will probably hurt less."

"Time," Charlie said, sticking his head back in. "Remember, red sparks. No tournament is worth more than your life."

"Ok," Harry agreed. Charlie nodded and Harry took two long deep breaths, and finally all the distractions were gone. He stepped out of the tent and he saw the massive crowd. He quickly picked Daphne out in the crowd and tried to flash her a smile, but she shot daggers at him with her eyes. The anger faded for a second, replaced by concern, and then she turned away. "Forget about an angry dragon," Harry muttered, and then turned his attention to the Hungarian Horntail.

It was a nasty looking dragon and Harry looked at its tail, which was swaying back and forth. His eyes narrowed on the tail, and he blocked everything out. It was just like taking a stroll, except with a giant tail and claws to contend with. Harry sighed, and just started walking towards the dragon.

The crowd murmured, and Harry knew that he looked like he was walking to his death. But the dragon sat there, looking at him curiously. Then Harry saw the twitch, and simply stepped to the left, allowing the tail to smash into the space he had just occupied. The tail jerked back and the dragon stared at Harry angrily. Harry had to hold back a smile.

He continued walking, and he saw the jaw twitch. It opened and fire raced out of the mouth, but Harry had already taken two steps to the right and the fire raced past him. Harry felt the heat, and the dragon abruptly cut off the fire. Then it took a pirouette to dodge another lash of the tail. The crowd was cheering in amazement as Harry weaved his way around a third attack from the tail.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

August, 1994

"Ok, today we are going to start learning some advanced defense techniques," Hayashi Sensei told the class. Harry nodded eagerly. He had wholeheartedly bought into the idea of defense first, and anything that would stop him from getting hit was a good idea in his book. So far, they had learned a serious of blocks and dodges. Harry's only complaint would be that it was a little formulaic.

Hayashi Sensei taught in a very formulaic manner. They would see Hayashi Sensei and a senior member demonstrate the technique, and then they would perform it on their own. Eventually, they would pair up and practice the move. The afternoon physical training was not as hard even if Harry was panting afterwards. What really exhausted him was if he made mistakes and extra work was required. So he really focused when he watched the demonstrations.

"Normally, I would do this with a senior student, but this is a technique that needs to be done at full speed a few times," Hayashi Sensei said. "So I have asked Nambung Sa Bum to help." Nambung stepped into the training room and gave a half bow to Hayashi Sensei. "I don't expect any of you to be able to see us at full speed but try and pick up on Nambung's movement."

Harry kept his vision wide to look at both instructors. He didn't even see the punch from Hayashi, but Nambung slipped the punch, allowing it to flow over his shoulder. The kick that followed was just as swift, but Nambung ducked under it. Finally Hayashi executed a backwards roundhouse, but Nambung parried it with a cross arm block.

The attacks had been viciously quick, and Harry only saw the finish of all three attacks, but he was confused. All of Nambung's defenses were things the class had already learned. Hayashi Sensei looked at the class, and Harry could tell his master was pleased that everyone was as confused as him.

"Anyone have any ideas?" The class remained silent. They had all learned that if you were not sure, it was better to be silent then to guess. "I guess that is to be expected. Did any of you see my attacks?" Again, there were no takers. "Of course not. Our moves were at nearly full speed."

"If I had reacted to full speed attacks by your sensei, I would not be able to deal with them so easily," Nambung told the class. "However, unless they are a true master, any attack will have indicators. We will slow down to a very slow speed. Watch Hayashi's right shoulder and chest." Harry looked and saw the muscles contract a little bit before the punch. "Of course, normally Hayashi would not have any indicators, but he is showing you what they might look like."

"By learning about indicators, you can learn to mask your own, so this is not simply a defense technique," Hayashi Sensei explained. He beckoned to the door and one of the senior students Harry did not know came in. "Watch Reza carefully and choose a block or dodge for the attack. He will stand at the front of the class. Pretend you are facing him and react accordingly."

Later that night Harry went flying across the floor. He grimaced and rose to his feet, giving a hard look at Nambung. Harry brushed his clothes off and rose to his feet. Training with Nambung Sa Bum was informative, but it left a lot of bruises.

"Harry, I am giving you very clear indicators," Nambung told him. "Someone of your skill should be able to see my attacks coming."

"First of all, when I see the indicator you speed up when you attack," Harry said. "Secondly, it doesn't matter if I see the indicator if the attack is so strong it blows me away."

"I've been sending you flying all night but you've seen almost every attack, so I'll give you a hint," Nambung said. "Suppose you were fighting a giant. He isn't very skillful, so you can see all his indicators." Nambung took a fighting pose, and Harry felt a lightbulb go off in his mind. "Ready to try again?" Harry took his pose across from Nambung and saw the left leg twitch. He waited a fraction of the moment, all his focus on the left leg.

Nambung kicked at his head but Harry was already gone, ducking under it. He didn't have long to celebrate, as Nambung shoulder barged him, sending him flying again.

"Really!" Harry said. He bunched his stomach and flipped to his feet. Akira had taught him how to do that flip, and besides looking cool it was also the best way to rise from a knockdown. Harry used it whenever he could, and it was also a good workout for his stomach. "I dodged that cleanly."

"And you took your eyes off me," Nambung said. Harry hung his head. His teacher was right. He had focused entirely on the leg, forgetting that there would almost definitely be a follow up attack. "Even if I hit you, you shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent."

"Yeah," Harry said, and took his stance. "Ok. Ready."

"Good," Nambung said. Harry saw the chest shift and slipped past a vicious punch, but this time he saw the left leg start to rise and he jumped back. He landed solidly on both feet and used his right foot to push off, throwing all his weight behind a punch which Nambung easily slipped past. Harry tripped over an outstretched leg but rolled to his feet.

"Again," Nambung said, and Harry shook his head and rose to his feet.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

November 24th 1994

Obviously, an angry vicious dragon didn't have any human tendencies. Also, being hit by the 1- ton tail of a Hungarian Horntail would do more damage than a punch. There were many reasons that Harry should have chosen another tactic, something that would not put him in imminent danger. But he believed in what he had learned over the summer. Also, this dragon had not been trained to disguise its attacks.

As Harry weaved, dove, and avoided attack after attack, he managed to work closer to the nest with every step. It was an arduous and dangerous progress, but soon he was inches from the dragon, who was now only on its back legs, using the front claws to attack along with bites, fire and a lashing tail. But still Harry avoided everything, some by such small margins that even the slightest slip would not only mean a failed attempt at a task, but also the potential end of his life.

Harry couldn't keep the smile from his face even as a razor-edged claw whistled through the air right over his head. Whenever Nambung sat and talked with Harry, which he did whenever Harry was really struggling, life and death inevitably came up. Nambung was of the belief that training could only take you so far. Once you put your skills to the test with a life and death situation, that was when the measure of your resolve was tested.

Harry was happy in this moment, which he wouldn't have believed was possible. But everything was gone from his mind. He had friends, a special girl, family, teachers. They didn't occupy his mind or his thoughts. At the moment the only thing Harry had to worry about was not getting hit. It was simple, it was pure, and it was the freest Harry had every felt.

Then his hands were on the egg and he was sprinting away. Harry transferred the egg to his left hand and drew his wand with his right and shot two spinning blue bolts into the air. The dragon roared, his eyes locked on the blue in the sky. Harry knew from letters with Charlie that dragons were especially light reactive. Since there was a dark blue bolt against a light blue sky, the dragon's full attentions would be on the bolt. So Harry slowed and turned to ensure the dragon didn't attack him as he walked backwards to the gate.

Then he heard an odd sound. It was high-pitched, screeching, an awful rattling and then a pop. Harry couldn't place the sound, but he froze a few feet from the gate, looking around for the origin of the noise. Then the dragon's wings bunched, and it rose into the air. It reached the bolts and snapped at it, looking around angrily as it found only air.

Something was wrong, so Harry stopped at the gate. He couldn't place what was wrong, but the gasps from the crowd along with a pit appearing in his stomach convinced him to pause. Then he heard a scream, and movement from the crowd. It hit him just as the dragon turned its eyes on him, fury and anger clear in the creature's eyes. The dragon was supposed to be chained. How had it taken to the sky in pursuit of his distraction?

"Harry!" Charlie yelled as the stands devolved into total panic. "You have to get out of here!" People in similar clothes to Charlie were pouring into the arena, but there seemed to be pitifully few of them. "Let us do our job." There was a bead of sweat on Charlie's forehead, and his voice was too high pitched for Harry to believe him. Then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder.

"McGonagall and Dumbledore will put us in a shield that will hide us and the dragon," Akira said in his ears. "Can you distract him?"

"Maybe," Harry said. "Charlie could help."

"Yes, but I don't know him," Akira said, his voice still quiet. The dragon roared and its wing locked as it dived at Harry. "Fine. We don't have time." Akira grabbed Charlie and pulled the dragon handler next to him. "Akira raised his wand and shot a green spark into the air. Instantly the world went entirely dark, and then a pulsing light started to illuminate the new environment. There was a pure white bubble, and the dragon was just underneath the top of the curve. Its eyes were focused on Harry, who shivered a bit.

"What?" Charlie said, a little stunned.

"Dumbledore can't hold this for long," Akira said, stepping forward, Harry alongside him. "We have 3 minutes to subdue it. Charlie, is it?" Charlie nodded. "Harry and I are going to slow it down, eventually pin it in place. You will have to lock it down, immobilize it. Can you do that?"

"Not on my own," Charlie said. "I need at least one other wand."

"Good thing I figured out what was going on before everyone else," a vaguely familiar voice said from behind Charlie. Harry turned and saw Krum with his wand draw, pointed at the dragon. "You said we had a few minutes. Can you teach me what do to?"

"I can try," Charlie said, still a little baffled.

"Krum, I hope it doesn't need to be said that what happens in this dome stays in this dome," Akira said, his wand pointed directly at the Bulgarian. Krum nodded, and Akira sighed. "Well, I guess we can't keep secrets from your co-competitors anymore, brother." Harry nodded, and they both raised their wands.

"Akiraka ni shite rokku o kaijo!" Weights appeared on Harry and Akira's body. They were wrapped around their arms, legs, ankles, shoulders, and necks. Then with a dull clang all the weights on Harry opened and fell off. They made a dull thud

"What the hell is that?" Charlie asked.

"Hidden weights," Harry said, stretching his sore muscles. "No such thing as an off day." Then Akira's weights unbuckled and as they hit the ground it sounded like an explosion spell. "His are a little heavier."

"Yikes," Krum said.

"I'm not done yet," Akira said, his voice deep and guttural. He turned his wand at himself and gripped the wood tightly. "Shokai rirīsu." He said that incantation quietly, so quietly no one, not even Harry could hear him. Akira's body began to glow silver, and Krum tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"What was that?" Harry shrugged as Akira took a fighting pose.

"Harry!" Akira snapped. "Let's go!" The dragon landed and roared as it faced the four wizards.

"Right." Harry stepped forward, and then raced at the dragons. He was unaccustomed to fighting without the weights, so he reached the dragon much faster than anticipated. Only a hard full speed twist and turn stopped him from crashing into the creature at full speed. Harry used the back of the dome as a springboard, jumping over the dragon and drawing its attention. Harry knew his job was to use his agility and speed to attract ire and anger.

The dragon spent a minute trying to catch Harry. Harry laughed at the ease his body was feeling, moving without all the weights. But as he laughed, he lost the clear mind he had been using. The tail of the dragon was heading towards him, and he didn't have an easy escape route.

"Uh oh." But then the dragon skidded backwards, slamming its wings into the dome, cracking the white shield. And then Akira was all over the creature. Akira hammered blow after blow into the dragon's side and head, which managed to back it up a little. Akira jumped back and stumbled to his knees as the silver glow faded. Krum and Charlie's wands glowed, and then ropes flew from their wands, restraining the dragon. The ropes were thick, and the dragon looked annoyed. Harry felt the physical exhaustion from his rapid acceleration and mental exhaustion from his death-defying duel with a dragon catch up all at once, and he stumbled over to his egg. Akira rose as well and his ropes, smaller as they were, began to wrap around the dragon's maw. He saw the dome begin to shimmer, and he picked up the egg.

"You ok?" Akira said, and Harry felt his brother put his arm over Akira's shoulder.

"Just tired," Harry murmured, and Harry felt Akira arms on his back before he closed his eyes.

"He ok?" Charlie said, as the dome became translucent.

"Just exhausted," Akira said, slinging his now sleeping brother over his back. "He isn't used to fighting without the weights. The strain it takes on the body, especially after dodging a dragon's attacks for a few minutes is pretty incredible." Akira looked around and saw the dome was almost gone. "You and your dragon buddies can take care of him?"

"We can now," Charlie said, seeing the dragon struggle under the ropes. "I have to confess, I've never seen someone beat a dragon down with his hands and feet."

"I wager, you'll never see it again," Akira said with a half-laugh. "Listen, I'd appreciate it if you keep Harry's involvement in this a secret. I'd like to remain anonymous as well, but if you can only keep one name hidden-"

"Say no more," Charlie said. "Dumbledore and I took care of it ourselves. Krum, I would disappear if I were you. Unless you like interviews." Krum's lips curled in a sneer. "That's what I figured." Akira nodded and them simply seemed to vanish.

"That wasn't Apparition" Krum said, both question and statement.

"Super-fast movement, I think," Charlie said, half to himself. "Here I thought I was Harry's only secret teacher."

"His movements were odd," Krum said. The dome flicked once and vanished. "I'll be going now." Charlie nodded, and then Krum's presence vanished. Other dragon handlers moved in, throwing ropes and bindings around the horntail who hard risen and almost broken through the original ropes, having already recovered from the pummeling from the Defense professor. Charlie gave a few directives to the other senior handler, and then went and sat down, taking deep breaths.

Charlie hadn't recognized the first spell Harry and his teacher had used. The second spell he hadn't even heard. Originally Charlie had planned to head back with all the handlers to drop the dragons in their original enclosures and then head back to Romania. But Charlie was worried about the weights that now lay on the ground of the arena. No training he had ever heard of had someone wearing 30 pounds in extra weight every second of every day.

"Charlie!" Charlie turned to see his old head of house running up to him. "Where is Harry?"

"Oh, your new professor carried him off somewhere," Charlie said. "He's safe, just exhausted." Charlie saw McGonagall exhale with relief. "Odd professor, isn't he? I've never seen someone beat a dragon into submission without a wand before. To be fair, I have also never seen a 14 year old boy, spend 2 minutes dodging every attack a dragon could come up with and stealing an egg. It's a day full of surprises."

"When you have been here as long as I have, nothing surprises you," Professor McGonagall said. "But yes, today was indeed full of surprises." She pointed at the dragon, which was now fully restrained. "You have that beast under control?"

"Don't call it a beast," Charlie said automatically. McGonagall gave him a hard stare. "Just…" Charlie shrugged. "Yeah. It's under control now."

"Would you mind explaining how it got off its tether and nearly killed a student? Imagine if it had gotten free with another student."

"Well, ignoring the blatant, and accurate favoritism of that statement," Charlie said, "I'm not sure." Out of the corner of his eye he saw a little color flow to his old professor's cheeks. Was dear old McGonagall finally starting to show emotion towards her students. "Oh, don't tell me you are actually starting to play favorites?"

"Of course not," McGonagall snapped, but Charlie knew a bad lie when he saw one. Well, if McGonagall was giving Harry preferential treatment, this seemed like a good year. Charlie had a heard a rumor that each task would be harder than the last, and that there were still at least 2 more tasks.

"Well, that's interesting," Charlie said, bending at the knee and taking the iron tether that had held the horntail in check. "See this scaring?" He pointed at a jagged black mark on the metal. McGonagall nodded. "The dragon could not have done that. That mark is from a spell. Someone weakened the metal, sometime between when we tied it up and when Harry entered the arena. They must have had an invisibility cloak or something of the like. Don't you have someone here for security?"

"Alastor Moody," McGonagall confirmed.

"I know his reputation," Charlie said, examining the metal closely. He didn't know any spell that could cause that kind of damage. "Minerva, if he's here that's a very serious problem."

"What do you mean?"

"You need a serious and powerful spell to do this kind of damage," Charlie explained. "For someone to slip past Moody and effectively release a dragon speaks to pre-mediation and a specific target. You can't stop the tournament?"

"Mr. Weasley, what are you talking about?"

"Minerva, someone is trying very hard to kill a certain Harry Potter." Charlie turned to McGonagall and saw the worry carved on her face. "And next time, your mystery teacher may not be around to protect him."

"Are you sure?" McGonagall asked.

"No, and if this was any other student, I would hesitate to draw this conclusion," Charlie said. "But all of this evidence, combined with the fact that it happened to the boy-who-lived… I'd be nervous I was you."

"We had a few aurors watching Harry for security until today," McGonagall told him. Charlie couldn't hide his grimace. "I know, I know. I assumed Alastor could have sniffed out any danger, but maybe we will bring them back"

"I don't know I'd do that. Talk to Moody and get someone else here, who has a good cover story but can provide an additional wand to keep an eye on your prize pupil." The Deputy Headmistress nodded, and then Charlie saw her eyes narrow on him. "What?"

"After all these dragons, I have a feeling that some of our students would be fascinated in a weekly seminar about dragons. How would you feel about teaching it?"

"I didn't mean me! Someone who actually knows something about security!" Charlie was openly sweating, He could talk his way out of this, as long as McGonagall didn't play the one card that he couldn't avoid. If this was anyone else, Charlie was confident he could stall them long enough to get out of the country. But Minerva McGonagall had been teaching Weasleys too long.

"Well, I'm sure your mother will be pleased to hear you exposed someone she considered a surrogate son to a dragon." Charlie's shoulders slumped.

"I'll start next week." McGonagall nodded. "I hope you offer competitive pay?" Charlie asked, knowing he sounded defeated.

"I'll see what we can do," the transfiguration professor said as she walked away. Charlie surveyed the grounds he had left himself only a few years past. He shook his head in irritation, but in his heart, he knew that spending 6 months at home wouldn't be the worst thing. He could live without the incoming Molly Weasley howler though.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: A bunch of people have commented that Victor's score was not mentioned. Given the events of last chapter, it would have made no sense given the viewpoints of the characters. Have no fear, his points will be revealed sooner rather than later.**

Chapter 23: Aftermath

November 24th, 1994

"Oh great," Harry said as he opened his eyes. The infirmary was a common sight for him, and he could tell with only a moment of clarity where he was. His muscles were on fire, and for a second, Harry hoped that the dragon had killed him so that the pain would stop. But as he tried to rise, he felt pressure on his chest.

He was literally strapped to the bed, a restraining band keeping his chest pressed to the bed. Harry took a moment to examine the band but saw nothing special about it. He flexed his arm, and could feel that there were no weights attached, invisible or otherwise. He grabbed the band and with a simple twist and pull tore it apart. Harry swung his feet off to the side of the bed and felt his legs muscles cry out in protest.

"Easy there," Akira said, swinging open the door and slowly lowering Harry back onto the bed. "You need a few minutes to let the muscles recover."

"Does this always happen when I take the weights off?" Harry asked, letting Akira put him back on the bed.

"Just the first few times," Akira said. "Granted, once you reach real mastery your fights will be too dangerous to ever have the weights on. Neither my father or Nambung Sa Bum wear weights."

"Both of them are so far in the distance I wouldn't use them for benchmarks," Harry responded, and Akira nodded in agreement. "How long was I out?"

"Not as long as you usually are, I'd bet."

"Less than a day?"

"Only 3 hours," Akira said. "It's late afternoon, but still the 24th."

"I guess that is good news," Harry said.

"Yeah, there are quite a few angry people who want to talk to you. Not all of them are angry, so Minerva and I divided them up into bigger groups to save you some time."

"How many?" Harry asked, the pain from his leg muscles quieting silently. "I need to work the kinks in my leg muscles out."

"Don't bother," Akira said, handing him a cup. Harry glanced inside and saw a green liquid. "Just drink it." Harry sighed and took a sip. It took a lot of self-control to not spit it out. "Yeah I know, but medicine is not supposed to taste good. It inspires you to get better. Now, the whole cup."

"That's rubbish," Harry said after he complied. "What is it?"

"One more," Akira said, holding up the weights. Harry extended his limbs and Akira snapped the weights back on. The Japanese wizard took out a wand and with a few muttered words the weights vanished. "There, all set."

"All set?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, by the time you are done talking to everyone your muscles will be good as new. It might take a few minutes on your feet to readjust to the weights but give it 20 minutes in bed and the aches and pains should be gone. You might be able to get out morning training tomorrow but on Friday we are starting again in earnest."

"Going to teach me that spell you used to beat up a dragon?" Harry asked with a sideways glance.

"I'm going to ask my dad if I'm allowed to," Akira admitted. "It's a bit advanced, but we are living in strange times."

"Fair. How about teaching me about that spell Dumbledore used, the giant dome?

"I don't know that spell, and even if I did I doubt I would be powerful enough to cast it," Akira told Harry. "I may not be his biggest fan, but he is still a very powerful wizard." He glanced at his watch and grimaced. "Some of the people waiting are in groups, but some are singular. How about we start with an easy group?"

"Dividing well-wishers and concerned citizens feels unusual," Harry said.

"Probably because you haven't had so many people to visit before," Akira said. "Trust me, your grandmother and I do have a method to the madness. Do you want me to hide and listen in?"

"Is Draco waiting outside?" Akira laughed a little. "I should be fine then." Akira nodded and swung the door open, leaving the room and closing it behind him. A few minutes later the door was opened with so much force it slammed into the wall it was attached to. Harry smiled as Lavender, Dean, Fred and George poured into the room.

"That was wicked Harry!" Dean said, hi-fiving Harry. "How the hell did you dodge a dragon for 5 minutes!

"You will be in first place, deservedly so!" Lavender added.

"Check this out Harry," the twins said in unison. One of them withdrew a small item from their backpack. It was a miniature version of Harry and his dragon. There was a small button which the other pressed, and the dragon swung its tail, which the figurine of Harry ducked. He pressed it again, and the dragon swiped at Harry, who jumped over it.

"We have had to work overtime on them," Fred said. Harry noticed they had their Weasley jumpers on, with a letter denoting which twin was which. Knowing them, there was a decent chance they switched them but for now Harry was less than interested in unraveling that mystery.

"Sold out the first batch," George. "Our dad bought one and we are even selling some to ministry employees."

"You are joking," Harry said. Dean held up a newspaper, it showed Harry dodging the dragon for a few moves and scooping up the egg before the picture repeated.

"Special edition," Dean said. "Came out 30 minutes ago." Harry looked at the headline and saw the name Rita Skeeter. "Rita Skeeter put a pretty nasty spin on it, but no one cares all that much."

"Seriously, how did you dodge all those attacks?" Lavender asked. "You looked like you were going to be dragon toast when it started using fire, but you still dodged it all."

"I'll admit the fire had me a little worried but it all worked out in the end. Speaking of the first task," Harry looked around, "do any of you have any idea where my egg is? Barty Crouch said it had a clue for the second task, and after that nightmare I'd prefer to avoid an unpleasant surprise."

"No idea," Dean said. "You aren't going to take a break? These two jokers," he indicated Fred and George, "have a giant party planned for tonight, since Madam Pomfrey said you don't have to stay overnight."

"So everyone is done worrying about the fact that I cheated?" Harry asked, some bitterness creeping into his voice.

"Done and dusted," George said. "No one in their right mind wants to face a dragon. I think our girlfriends want to be first to apologize, if Katie Bell doesn't beat them to it.

"That bodes well for quidditch next year," Fred and George said in concert.

"True," Harry added. He was surprised as soon as the word came out of his match. Given the tournament, he knew that even if quidditch was in season, he wouldn't have time. But he was surprised to realize he missed it, especially the camaraderie between his teammates. He had not spoken to any of the three chasers since his name had been entered, but if all three were planning to apologize Harry would be thrilled. They would be on a very short-list of people Harry was actually willing to forgive for ostracizing him the last month.

"Well, we will get out of your hair," Lavender said. "From what I understand, you have quite a few well-wishers and we shouldn't tire you out. I understand you had quite a long night." She gave him a pointed look.

"Yeah, we can talk about last night later," Harry said. "It got a little crazy." Lavender nodded and all four filled out of the room. Harry groaned once they left the room. With all the craziness, he had forgotten about the four Ravenclaws he had put in the infirmary. He glanced around but didn't see them. "One more thing to worry about," Harry said to himself. Hufflepuff might not hate him anymore, but Ravenclaws were sure to not be thrilled.

"I'd say," Neville said as he poked his head in. Harry gave a giant smile. He had not had a chance to talk to a lot of people since he learned about the dragons, and Neville was one of the few Harry really missed the last few days. To his surprise, Hannah was right next to him, hand in hand. "From what I hear, last night was crazier than the dragon."

"Hey Nev," Harry said. "I think you missed letting me in on something too." He stared pointedly at the hand that Hannah held, and Neville started blushing.

"Isn't he adorable when he gets embarrassed!" Hannah said, and Harry laughed at Neville's obvious embarrassment. "He asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday, and I don't plan on letting him out of my sight!"

"Good to know," Harry said. "Now, if we can only get him to stand up to Slytherin."

"Don't you worry," Hannah told Harry. "I'll get his confidence up by day's end. I have an interesting reward system I'll put in place." Neville blushed even more, which caused Harry to laugh even harder.

"Hey Harry, you know that stuff with Professor Hayashi?" Neville asked. Harry nodded. "And the guy you mentioned at the beginning of the year? Hayashi-Sensei, was it?"

"I'm surprised you remember that name," Harry admitted. "That was a long time ago."

"It was a big deal to me," Neville said. "Besides, it can't be bigger news than the other thing we discussed." Harry realized he was referring to the identity of his grandmother. "But were they the two that taught you how to dodge the dragon?"

"They were part of it," Harry explained. "If you have been working on the stuff he showed you, why don't you join us Friday morning?"

"You mean it?" Harry nodded. "Absolutely!" Neville looked positively thrilled.

"Neville, what is he talking about?" Hannah asked.

"Hannah, I bet you could get all of those secrets out of Neville," Harry said. "But give him a pass for a little while."

"He's my boyfriend," Hannah argued. "He shouldn't keep big secrets from me."

"And I'm sure you are willing to tell Neville all your secrets too?" Harry asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Point taken," Hannah said. "Nevertheless, I better get started on the reward system." She started to drag Neville out of the room.

"See you tonight at the party Harry!" Neville called over his shoulder.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled, barging Neville out of the way and throwing her arms around him. Harry grunted in pain from the impact and Hermione instantly jumped back. "Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"Don't worry about it," Harry lied. Apparently the medicine Akira had given him had not kicked in yet. It was slowing down, but his torso felt like it was on fire. Apparently, taking the weights off and moving at top speed didn't just bruise his legs. "I assume you will be the first to yell at me."

"I thought we agreed on a plan," Hermione said. "You gave your best plan to Cedric!"

"I assume you would be happy he is ok," Harry said mildly. "You gone with him to Hogsmeade twice if memory serves me right."

"Cedric is just being nice," Hermione said, instantly looking away. Even turning away couldn't hide the massive blush creeping up her neck.

"I bet you a galleon he asks you to the Yuletide ball," Harry said with a laugh, "which you should say yes to. I'm a big fan of the real Hogwarts champion. The more time I spend with him, the more I respect him."

"I am not here to talk about Cedric!" Hermione shouted. "I am here to talk about your insane idea to play tag with a giant dragon." Harry heaved himself out of bed, ignoring the protest his legs made.

"Hermione, while I appreciate the concern, you chose not to ever come to my morning sessions," Harry pointed out. "It's much harder to avoid a punch from Akira than a dragon, and I do ok at that." Hermione gave a small sound of discontent that could be best described as a "hmph." "Hermione, it reared back every time before it attacked. If you have learned what to look for, it's not actually too hard."

"What about that dome after it broke free? I was one of the few who stayed around, and when Dumbledore dissolved the dome I saw Professor Hayashi pick you up and vanish. I thought you were dead!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that one," Harry said. "Akira didn't exactly consult me about that. But he didn't really put me in danger. I wouldn't yell at him though. He is a professor after all. If you like I can yell at him for you."

"No, please don't do that," Hermione begged. "Your informality with Professor Hayashi and Professor McGonagall is hard enough. If you yelled at them I might have a heart attack." Hermione grinned sheepishly at him. "I'm not really mad at you. I'm just happy you are safe. Promise not to do anything so crazy without telling me next time?"

"I'll try," Harry said. "But crazy brave stuff is kind of par for the course."

"Just so you know," Hermione called over her shoulder as she started walking out, "she is pretty mad. I'd start by apologizing." She opened the door and Harry heard her say "go easy on him." Daphne walked in and Harry gave a half smile. Daphne was stone-faced and Harry sat down on the bed. Daphne sat down next to him and they stayed there in silence for a few minutes.

"I guessing sorry won't cut it?" Harry asked. It was more of a statement.

"No, it won't," Daphne said. She turned to Harry, and Harry could see she was clearly hurt. "Look, I know Hermione is your best friend. But cutting me out for two days to spend all your time with her is not ok. No matter what."

"Are you madder at me for that or for my tactics for the dragon?"

"The dragon, definitely," Daphne said. "But that is not out of character. If I had a problem with recklessness and bravery we never would have been dating." Daphne sighed and leaned her head against Harry. "Harry, you know I really like you. But I was talking with Tracey, and she gave me some good advice."

"Tracey?"

"Tracey Davis," Daphne explained, "my best friend. She is a Slytherin, but she doesn't have an irrational hate of you. You might actually be surprised by how many people in Slytherin don't hate you."

"If it's more than you, I would be surprised," Harry said.

"That's not the point," Daphne said. "Tracey said…" Daphne looked away, and Harry hesitated. "She said maybe we should break up."

"Woah," Harry said. He was floored. "Is this about Hermione? I thought you were cool with her." Daphne didn't say anything. "Seriously?"

"Harry, it actually has nothing to do with that," Daphne said. "If anything, after I calm down, I'm sure I will like you more. But you are still so closed off about so many things. I know you don't like bullies but attacking half of Ravenclaw tells me more is going on than that."

"Ok, I know that's not why you want to break up," Harry said.

"It's not really a break-up," Daphne said. "It's more like a break. Hopefully temporarily, though I can bet that after today girls will be throwing themselves at you, and I won't stop you from going out with any of them and falling in love." Daphne turned away and muttered "even if that would kill me."

Daphne had come in intending to do this but the look in Harry's eyes, the total shock and unbelievable hurt made her hesitate. What's more, the moment Daphne had said it, she realized that if she did this, she probably would never get him back. It might not be a breakup by her definition, but this would be it for them, and that was sure to be harder on him in the long run.

When she had ranted to Tracey after seeing her boyfriend toy with death, seemingly with a smile on his face Tracey had just let her go off. Daphne finally calmed down and Tracey had looked at curiously.

"Daphne, I know you said you like him, but you wouldn't be so mad if you just liked him. It sounds like this is just classic Harry Potter. That's why you are yelling with me instead of at him."

"It's not like I want to break up with him," Daphne had said. "But if I am his girlfriend it feels like everyday I am going to be worried he is going to do something stupid and die, and I don't know that I could take that. Honestly I am surprised by how much I like him, and how good he is for me. He is the only person besides you I don't have to be the ice princess with."

"Yeah, I can see," Tracey said. "It shows with other people too. Even before you started dating, he and Neville were changing you, bit by bit. Ask Astoria and she will tell you the same thing. I do have a suggestion though."

"I think medication might be the best solution." Daphne said, plopping down next to Tracey.

"How about you take a break?" Tracey said. Daphne looked at her blankly. "A temporary break up."

"Are you insane?" Daphne shrieked. "If we are apart for even a day, someone else will snap him up. You have to admit that even if it was crazy, it was super cool seeing him do that."

"Oh no doubt," Tracey said. "I have no interest in Potter, but it was still super hot seeing him do that. Have some confidence in yourself. I doubt he will go out with the first girl to ask him out."

"Yeah," Daphne said reluctantly. "But he is a lot more vulnerable than most people think. If we break-up, I doubt he will ever let me back in."

"Look, when you date someone, you have to ask yourself three fundamental questions," Tracey said. "First, can you see a future with him?" Daphne nodded. "Second, do you see yourself loving them in the future." Daphne hid a blush but after a hard stare from Tracey she gave a tiny nod. "Really? That's a surprise."

"Every day I spend with him is better than the last," Daphne said. "He makes me really happy."

"Maybe I should get to know him," Tracey said. "Apparently he is going to be single soon." Daphne threw a pillow at her. "The third question is does the potential pain outweigh the potential good? Right now, it sounds like it doesn't. You clearly have a problem with something that is fundamental to Potter, and even if you explain it to him he won't change."

"If it is fundamental to him, wouldn't that just mean we won't ever work?" Daphne asked.

"If we were 25, I'd say yes," Tracey said. "At the moment, I think that problem is there because we are too immature." Daphne opened her mouth but Tracey shused her. "Look, we are 14. We will continue to change and evolve. To be fair, probably not in 3 months. So if you want, call it a break-up. But if Harry feels the same way as you, and he is single before we graduate, I'm sure you can give it another chance."

"Everything about this sounds wrong," Daphne said.

"Look, do you think you can stay friends?"

"It will be weird at first. His friends certainly won't want me around. I know Cedric is crazy about Hermione, so she won't steal Harry. But Susan likes him, and she is really cool. She will try to kick me out, and she is smart."

"I gave you my advice," Tracey said. "I can't make you do anything. Go see him when he wakes up. I bet you'll know when you see him."

Sitting down across from him, Daphne did know. She couldn't watch Harry fight with death, not this year. The tournament would drive her distraction, and she wasn't willing to sacrifice a year of school for Harry, not yet. If he was truly a man who always charge into danger, then they would never work.

"Ok." Harry said, and Daphne looked up surprise. Harry had obviously been surprised, but he seemed to be taking it in stride. "But this isn't really a break, is it?"

"Yeah," Daphne admitted. She picked her head off his shoulder. "Are we too stubborn? I feel like if we don't compromise, we will never work."

"I don't know," Harry said. Daphne stood up and walked away. "Daphne?" She didn't turn around. She didn't want Harry to see the tears running down her face. If he had that look in his eyes, the look that let her summon her patronus, she would pray for him to take her back that instant. "Still friends, right?"

"Forever," Daphne said, closing the door behind her. The tears were flowing easily now, and she saw Professor Hayashi standing there, looking at her curiously. She broke away down the hall, racing back to her dorm.

"Uh, Harry?" Akira said, stepping into the room. "Any reason your girlfriend just ran out this room in tears?"

"Ex-girlfriend," Harry said with a grimace.

"You broke up with her?" Akira said, shock obvious on his face.

"Other way around," Harry said. "Honestly I can't even process it right now. Maybe later tonight I'll go blow up a classroom, but right now…" Harry shrugged. "If I saw her later, I'd probably still try to give her a hello kiss."

"Well, that's surprising," Akira said. "We have two more people, but if you want, I can send them away.

"Who?"

"Cedric and Krum." Harry really didn't want to see anyone at the moment. But maybe he needed a distraction.

"Together?" Akira nodded. "Yeah sure." Akira whistled, and his grandmother stepped into the room with the Hogwarts champion and the Bulgarian seeker. "Hey guys."

"Harry, I told Krum earlier that I got the idea from you and your knowledge of dragons," Cedric said.

"Ok. Why?"

"Well, I had an idea," Krum said. "Dragons were an insane idea. From what Cedric tells me, without you he would have gone with the dog, and probably would have died."

"I'm sure it would have been fine," Harry said.

"Trust me," Cedric said, "it wanted no part of the dog. I'd be burned to a crisp." Krum held up an arm, showing a jagged cut. "Krum and I were talking in the box they set up for us, and we realized that the tasks are only going to get worse."

"Cedric, I feel like you are trying to slow walk me to an idea. Would you mind jumping there? I've had a long 24 hours." Harry saw hurt flicker over the older boy's face at Harry's harsh tone. "Look, I don't mean any offense. Just…" Cedric's eyes showed understanding and Harry breathed a silent sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was to alienate Cedric.

"Sure. Should we all team up?"

"What?" Harry was still reeling from his new status as single, but this was almost as stunning.

"Look, I didn't do much better than Cedric, and all of us paled in comparison to your performance. I spoke quite strongly to my headmaster about his scoring, but I am not his favorite pupil right now," Krum said. "I did not want to be in this tournament, or really come to England at all. After that madness, I am more concerned with my life. We tried to talk to Fleur, but since we did not do much better than her, she wasn't interested. We were hoping you would agree and would be able to convince her. That is, if you agree."

"We would understand if you aren't interested, and it wouldn't change anything," Cedric said. "You clearly are the frontrunner."

"Cedric, if I could drop out tomorrow I would," Harry said. "If we get to the end of this and I'm in the lead, I'll let the second person win. I shouldn't be here anyways. You are the real Hogwarts champion." Harry looked at his grandmother. "Professor McGonagall, you agree?" She nodded. "Ok, I'm in." Cedric and Krum looked at each other with smiles. "So we try with Fleur again?"

"Just you," Cedric said. "She turned us down flat. But even she was amazed by your performance, and when your dragon broke out she couldn't get out of the stadium fast enough."

"Don't forget I saw your real skill in the dome," Krum said. "Cedric said he has been on the receiving end of your abilities in practices, and I admit I would like to see it myself. I can only hope that the second and third task do not involve dueling. Though hopefully if we get to know each other, we will not feel the need to be overly aggressive."

"Alright," Harry said. "Where is Fleur?" Cedric and Krum looked at each other. "You don't know? Akira," Harry said, but Akira was already tossing him his bag. Harry fished the map out, pointed his wand, and said "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The map instantly came to life and Harry started looking around. He saw an odd name but ignored the presence of Rita Skeeter near Dumbledore's office, and then found Fleur outside, right next to Susan. Apparently Susan had been telling the truth about their friendship.

Harry was on the verge of clearing the map when he saw something that made him pause. He looked closer to make sure he had read it right.

"Either of you know Maxwell Passan is?" Harry asked, clearing the map with a quick "Mischief managed."

"I think he is one of the students from Beauxbatons who didn't get chosen," Krum said. "Why?"

"Because Fleur is in trouble," Harry said, racing out of the room. He heard the two other champions behind him but he was easily able to outpace them. The hospital floor was on the first floor, and as tempted as Harry was to head straight for, his training kicked in and he flew up a staircase and raced to the space on the second floor where he could see the front line. He heard footsteps behind and he saw Remus there.

"Any reason that a patient from the infirmary just raced out of it?" Remus asked.

"Can you keep up?" Harry asked.

"After you spent a summer with Hayashi-san?" Remus shook his head. "I doubt it." Harry nodded and then picked up the pace, leaving Remus in his dust. It took him a minute to reach the opening, and he saw the map hadn't lied. There was a boy in a Beauxbatons uniform talking to Fleur and Susan, but next to him was Draco Malfoy, flanked by his two cronies and another Slytherin that Harry recognized as Theodore Nott. He judged the distance to the ground. It couldn't be more than 15 feet.

"The legs didn't hurt when I ran," Harry said to himself, and took a few steps back. He heard Remus behind him, but he couldn't hesitate. He ran full speed at the opening and leapt.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: I'm not going to do a French accent with French speakers or Bulgarian for Krum and Karkaroff as you may have already noticed. I feel like given the grammatical errors that I'm sure already riddle the text despite my best efforts, I don't need to add that wonderful complication.**

**Also I'll admit I don't love how Harry and Daphne broke up. I think she is stronger than that, and it is fairly OOC for my version of Daphne, since in my opinion she is a fairly blank slate if you include her. However, it was kind of necessary for it to be quick and clean for where my story is going. If you don't like it, tough luck. This is one thing I have NO intention of changing. I look forward to the flames.**

Chapter 24: Little Boy

November 24th, 1994

Fleur watched in amazement as the boy-who-lived, who she had called a little boy just a few weeks ago dodged attack after attack from the most dangerous dragon as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Although it seemed like the entire student body was against him at the beginning, now they were fully behind him, a huge cheer coming from most of the students every time the boy dodged an attack.

She could not think of him as a boy anymore as she saw a tiny smile cross his face. While she had managed to get past her dragon, she could not do what Harry Potter was doing now. That was impossible, even for every person she knew. What she was seeing in front of her was an impossibility.

Of course, the scene unfolding her was surprising. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Krum clearly in a similar state of shock. But second to the surprise of Harry Potter taking on a Hungarian Horntail without his wand was the reaction of his fellow schoolmate. Cedric was simply nodding, as if he had expected this.

When the two other champions had proposed an alliance in the box, Fleur had shot them down instantly. She did not need help from those who barely did better than her. But seeing the viciousness of the Hungarian Horntail and realizing that she might have not escaped as easily from a creature this dangerous, Fleur realized that if Harry Potter was part of that alliance, she might regret turning it down.

Then he entered the nest and Fleur saw something she recognized. The Horntail lunged with both claws, and Harry stepped forward, rotating off one foot onto the other with lightning speed to slip in between the two attacks. The movement triggered a memory in Fleur from much earlier in her life, and she struggled to remember exactly where she had seen that memory. Then it came back to her with starling clarity.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

June 1990

"Fleur, can you come with me?" Laurent asked, popping into her room.

"Of course Papa," Fleur told her father.

"How is your day going?" Her father asked as they walked down the stairs.

"Very well. I am working on Charms for next year." Her father ruffled her hair, which Fleur immediately straightened. "Stop it Papa!" Laurent laughed but didn't do it again. "Why are you home so early Papa?" Fleur knew her father worked long hours as the head of the French Aurors. She knew some of his friends wanted him to run for higher office, but he had told the family that while he might campaign for a promotion this year, it would be one that allowed him to spend more time at home, which made Fleur and her sister Gabrielle thrilled.

"Well, I had some visitors today, and I decided to take the meeting at home. I thought that it might be good for you to meet them as well. They are very peculiar, even if they are magical. But they are very important and the older man has been a good friend for years and can be a little temperamental so be on your best behavior." Fleur nodded and they emerged onto the lawn of Chateau Delacour. Fleur saw two men, one clearly still a student and girl who looked a little older than the boy.

"Hayashi-San, good to see you!" Her father said, extending his hand to the older man.

"You as well, Monseigneur Delacour. Though I hope since we are not in the office we can dispense with the titles."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Takashi." The older man smiled, and then beckoned to the younger people.

"Laurent, I would like to introduce my son Akira, and the most recent graduate from my school and a potential fiancé for my son, Yui Ito." Both the boy and girl bowed, and Fleur noticed the tiniest flicker of frustration on the boy's face. When he straightened it was gone, and Fleur was unsure if she had imagined it.

"It is my pleasure to meet you, Monseigneur Delacour," the boy said, and the girl followed with the same greeting.

"I know that you two will not settle for Laurent, but I hope we can at least use Mr." The boy and girl looked at the older man, who gave the slightest nod.

"I would be privileged." Her father nodded to the two younger.

"This is my daughter, Fleur. Say hi to Hayashi-san."

"It is nice to meet you Hayashi-san." Her father mimed a bow and Fleur gave a formal courtesy.

"Nice to meet you as well, Fleur

"So why do I have the privilege of your visit Takashi?" Laurent said. "Surely it is too soon for you to try and convince me to enroll some of my aurors in your school. I wouldn't expect that for a few months."

"Actually, I am here for other business," Hayashi-san said, "and I would like Akira and Yui to learn more about the political side of my life, hopefully to discourage them from joining the field."

"What would you like to do if your father won't let you into politics Akira?" Laurent asked.

"At the moment I would like to follow my father into the Asian Ministry, Mr. Delacour" Akira said. "But I will follow his wishes in the matter."

"Kids," Hayashi-san said with a laugh. "They never listen unless they want to. What about you, Fleur? Do you have any idea what you would like to do yet?"

"Well, I am pretty good at charms," Fleur said. "Maybe I will go for a mastery in that."

"Good for you," Hayashi-san said. "No such thing as too much education."

"So this is just a social visit?" Laurent asked.

"Yes, though since I was in France I could not miss an opportunity to say hi to Apolline. Ah speak of an angel." Fleur saw her mother emerge from the house.

"You silver tongued charmer," her mother said, and Fleur was surprised to see her mother kiss the man on the cheek. "It is good to see you Takashi." What surprised Fleur more was that neither Takashi or his son showed the slightest reaction to her mother's allure, and even she could feel her mother was using her a bit of active allure. "Still no reaction to my allure."

"I wouldn't dare with your husband here." All three adults laughed and Fleur realized in surprise that although Hayashi-san was clearly an important official from the Asian Ministry, this was what her mother and father acted like when they were around friends, something Fleur rarely saw when government officials came over to their house.

"This is your son, Akira?" Hayashi-san nodded. "I am sure that my husband has already told you to call him Mr., and while I would love to be Apolline, I'm sure the best your father would settle for is Ms. Delacour. Mademoiselle just makes me feel old." Again the son glanced at his father who nodded.

"It is my pleasure to meet you, Ms. Delacour," Akira said. The girl echoed the sentiments.

"Nice to meet you as well," her mother said. "Is the girl your student as well?" Takashi made the necessary introductions, and then Fleur greeted the two younger members.

"I have an idea," Hayashi-san said. "Why don't Akira and Yui do a little sparing for you? Let your daughter realize that there is more to wand work in this dangerous world. Maybe teach her a move or two."

"And this wouldn't be yet another attempt to steal some of our trainees?" Her father said. Hayashi-san simply shrugged. "Very well." Her father waved his wand and the grass from the lawn rose up and formed 4 chairs. Her father indicated she sit. "Fleur, watch carefully. Takashi's son and this young lady are going to show you something special. As Takashi said, there is more to fighting that just magic. If I was a little younger, perhaps I might try to learn some."

"Begin," Hayashi-san said. For the next few minutes, Fleur was treated to an amazing show of dexterity, agility, and speed as the two younger people threw a flurry of kicks, punches, and other moves at the other. Finally the boy landed a solid shot on the girl who flew back a few feet but flipped in the air gracefully to land on her feet and Fleur realized there was considerable strength behind the blows as well.

"Impressive," Her father said. Fleur could tell that even though her father's voice betrayed no emotion, he was a little surprised by the show.

"Yes, I find it's best to start the training young," Hayashi-San said. "I started my training at 7. Akira started at around the same age, and Yui started 2 years later. That is why even though she is older and her form is cleaner, Akira is stronger and wins more than half of their spars."

"He only knocked her back," Apolline commented. "That doesn't constitute a victory."

"They are only sparing," Hayashi-San explained. "So the blows were only that. If it was a real fight, Akira is advanced enough to strike with a little more lethal force. Would you be averse to a demonstration of that?" Fleur's father waved his hand. Hayashi-San took out his wand and with a wave a huge block of wood appeared in front of his son. It must have been the size of a horse. "Fleur, watch the feet. The power of the strike is generated from there, even if the technique is mainly defensive."

Fleur stared down at Akira's feet and managed to make out some quick movement and heard a massive cracking sound. The wood was splintered in front of Akira and his fist simply drove through the wood, leaving in totally shattered. He turned and gave a half bow.

"Changed your mind yet?" Hayashi-San said with a small laugh. Laurent shook his head. "Can't fault for me trying."

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't" Her father said. "But I feel this is not just a social visit."

"Have you heard the rumors?" Hayashi-San said. "Some dark creatures are moving in this part of the world. Obviously last time these creatures were moving, my ministry was hesitant to get involved, but given the time I spend in England, I have a vested interest. I still can't believe what happened 10 years ago."

Fleur's ears perked up. 10 years ago? She had been a little kid, but she remembered that her father had been out of the house for months on end, and once he came back so badly wounded her mother did not let him leave his bed. She remembered reading something about a dark wizard named Voldemort. She knew that her father would not like her speaking out of turn, but the worlds flew out her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Do you mean Voldemort?" Fleur asked. Her father and mother visibly recoiled, and Fleur could have been fooled, but there seemed to be a tiny smile on the face of Hayashi-San.

"Fleur, where did you hear that name?" Her father asked, his eyes blazing with fire. Fleur drew back in her chair at the intensity in her father's voice.

"Laurent, you are scaring her!" Her mother yelled, running to Fleur's side and taking her hand. "It's ok, my flower. But you should not say that name."

"No need to be afraid of a name, Fleur," Hayashi-San said.

"I would ask you not tell me how to raise a child!" Her father roared, coming out of chair. "You did not face him or his eaters, or the army of monsters he brought with him. You hid beyond your name and your ministry and left all of Europe to burn!"

"You know it isn't that simple," Hayashi-San said, but Fleur saw the Asian man had his wand in his hand. Tension literally crackled in the air, and for a moment Fleur felt a horrible aura of despair emanating from the older martial arts expert. "You know more than anyone why I could not interfere."

"I'm sorry," her father said after a long pause.

"There is nothing to forgive," Hayashi-San said. "I hear the boy's first year at school will be this year. It would be a lie to say that I am fond of Dumbledore, so if you hear anything about the boy and could send it my way, I would appreciate it. Even I would not want to fight the so called dark lord, if his powers are as rumored." He gave a small bow. "Good day, Laurent." He strode away, his two pupils following him.

"That could have gone better," Apolline said, and Laurent grunted. Meanwhile Fleur was still trying to wrap her head around the martial arts display. Perhaps it would behoove her to learn some of the movements she had just seen

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

November 24th 1994

Fleur looked around the champions box and saw an Asian man not much older than her sitting next to Cedric.

"Akira?" She said in shock. The Asian man turned and glanced at her in questioning. "Akira Hayashi?"

"Yes, I am Professor Hayashi." Akira turned to her, clearly confused. "I'm sorry, Ms. Delacour, have we met?" The crowd roared and everyone turned to see Harry scoop up his egg. Akira gave a start, and Fleur strained to see what gave the professor that reaction. "Dumbledore! Minerva! The chain!" Akira yelled and Fleur looked down and saw the dragon's chain go taught and then snap. The dragon soared into the sky chasing Harry's distractions. It snapped one of the lights up, and then someone screamed.

The crowd devolved into a mess as the dragon looked around for a target. Fleur saw Harry stop at the gate of safety and turn, drawing his wand. Fleur saw Cedric and Krum draw their wands and Fleur copied their actions. Krum started to rush towards the platform for the champions, and Cedric was a second behind. Akira seemed to appear between Cedric and Krum.

"Get the students out of here. I'll handle this."

"But-"

"Go!" Akira seemed to vanish again, and then Fleur saw Dumbledore step forward. Dumbledore yelled out some words Fleur did not recognize and brandished his wand. Instantly a giant dome formed around the arena, pure white and obscuring the area within. Cedric looked for Krum, but the Bulgarian was gone. He clenched his wand and turned to Dumbledore.

"Headmaster! How can I help?"

"Mr. Diggory, you can help get your classmates back to the castle in an orderly and fast fashion," Dumbledore said all his attention on the dome. "Do not worry about the dragon." Cedric nodded and headed for the nearest exit.

"Come, Fleur," Madame Maxime, said coming to her. "We must leave this situation to the school." Fleur followed her headmaster back to the carriage but when they were almost back, Fleur ditched her teacher. Madame Maxime would want to review her performance in the task, but at the moment all Fleur wanted to do was think on her own. It seemed like Scotland had few nice days, and this was one. Since all the students were sequestered, Fleur found a rock outside the castle and sat in silence.

"You've been sitting alone for a while," a female voice said. Fleur turned and saw her friend Susan sit on the rock opposite her. "Want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"The fact that even though you did a really good job, you came in last," Susan said. "You got a 41, Cedric got a 43, Krum got a 42 even though he should not have, and I'm sure once all the craziness is dealt with, Harry will get first prize."

"I recognized one of your professors from many years ago." Susan stayed silent, and Fleur realized her friend was waiting for her to explain. "Professor Hayashi. His father is a very important man in the Asian Ministry of Magic. What is he doing here?"

"I understand he is a teacher at a school in Japan, but that he is taking a year abroad to learn different teaching styles."

"He is very close to Harry?" Fleur asked

"Extremely," Susan answered, looking at Fleur curiously. "How did you know that?"

"Well, isn't this a sight?" A male voice called. "The worst champion. Apparently even losers have a friend or two." Fleur turned and rose, her wand flying into her hand as she saw the man approaching. Maxwell Passan. It had to be him. She saw four Hogwarts students a few years younger than her with him. They all had green ties and pins on their robes indicating they were Slytherin. Susan stiffened next to her and drew her wand as well.

"Fleur, we need to get out of here!" Susan whispered, but Fleur ignored her, her eyes boring into Maxwell.

"What do you want, Maxwell?" Fleur spat.

"Well, I was talking to these wonderful young men here, and we realized that if a monster like you represents our school, it will reflect badly on us." Maxwell drew his wand, as did the students behind him. "I was hoping you would do us all a favor and die, but since you didn't I figured I would help it along." He fired a bone-breaking hex but Fleur blocked it. "Oh, bad move." Fleur threw up a shield as the four Hogwarts students started to fire. Her shield wavered and Fleur curled up to make a smaller target. She heard a loud sound behind her as her shield shattered.

"Protego!" A voice from behind her called, and the next few attackers were caught on the new shield. "Can't believe I landed that jump so easily. Oh, how nice to see you Draco!"

"Harry!" Susan called excitedly, and Harry Potter walked up in between Fleur and Susan.

"Susan, didn't your aunt teach you not to talk to strangers?" Harry said, a teasing tone in his voice. There was an easy smile on his face, and he offered Fleur a hand. She turned away, and Harry shook his head a little. "Nothing wrong with accepting a hand up, Ms. Delacour." She continued to ignore it, and Harry shrugged, though he was a little bothered by the intensity in her eyes.

"What are you doing Potter!" The boy Harry had addressed as Draco snapped.

"Well, that depends." Harry started to stroll towards the four Hogwarts students. "If you leave, then probably nothing."

"You are the one in the wrong place," one of the other students said. There was barely any movement as Harry fired a stunner right past his ear. It was so sudden and fast that none of the Slytherin's could react. Fleur could tell even Maxwell, a 7th year student was surprised by the speed.

"I wasn't speaking to you Nott. I've had an extraordinarily long and unpleasant day. Don't test me." Harry fixed the student with a look that Fleur couldn't see because his back was towards her, but the boy flinched back. "To continue, if you don't leave, then I will have to do something." Harry slid his wand onto the holster on his right hip. "So what will it be?"

"Dumb move Potter!" Draco yelled, pointing his wand at Harry.

"One question before you attack, Draco," Harry said. "Do you have the time?"

"Huh?" The student looked down at the watch on his wrist and in that moment Harry moved. Fleur could see the outline of his moves but not clearly, but it only took a few seconds. All four Hogwarts students lay on the ground, and 3 weren't moving. One stared at Harry Potter's wand, hovering right over his chest.

"Maxwell, was it?" Harry said, not looking at the Beauxbatons' student. "Move your wand towards me. I dare you." Maxwell dared and Harry disarmed him easily, followed by a stunner at the remaining Hogwarts student. "Dumb move," Harry said, stowing his wand again. "He walked straight up to the older boy and poked him in the forehead. "How about you get your wand and walk away?" Maxwell wavered and Harry turned his back on him.

"Watch-" Fleur started to yell as she saw Maxwell clench his right hand into a fist. Then Harry simply disappeared from view. Three things happened in concern. Maxwell swung, hitting only air, a foot cracked against his chin with a sickening crunch, and a stunner flew from behind her, hitting Maxwell in the chest.

"Remus," Harry said as he flipped up from the ground. "I am quite capable of taking care of myself."

"I would have thought Takashi would tell you never to turn your back on an enemy," An older man behind Fleur admonished.

"He did," Harry said. "But Nambung Sa Bum taught me how to use that particular move. I don't fancy being him when he wakes up. I landed that kick a little more solidly then I was planning to. I think I broke part of his jaw."

"I heard the crack from here," The man called Remus said. Susan didn't seem bothered by the man's presence, so Fleur relaxed. "Nasty attack."

"Remus you should probably get out of here," Harry said "You aren't a professor anymore. In fact, we should all probably go." Harry trotted past them, peering back and Fleur. "You two coming?" Susan grabbed Fleur and led her back into Hogwarts. At the entrance they ran into a panting Krum and Cedric.

"Harry, what happened?" Cedric managed to get out. "You just sprinted off."

"Some people were being nasty to Fleur and Susan," Harry said as he walked past them. He pointed out into the field in front of the castle, and Fleur saw Krum's eyes widen as he took in the five unconscious bodies. "I gave them an abject lesson in manners."

"Harry, you really need to stop going around stunning people," Cedric told him. "It makes you look bad, and it makes enemies."

"First of all, it was Draco and company," Harry told him. "It's not like Slytherin can hate me anymore. Second of all, I didn't stun any of them. I punched Nott, I kicked Crabbe, and I elbowed Goyle. Oh, I guess I did stun Draco after I cracked a rib."

"Yikes," Krum muttered.

"I did not need your help Harry Potter," Fleur said angrily.

"I'm sure you didn't" Harry said with a wave of his hand. "But I figured I'd chip in anyways. It's not often I have a valid excuse to punch a Slytherin in the face. I guess I should be thanking you." Harry turned and gave Fleur a pointed stare. "After all, that is what people say when they are grateful. By the way, I prefer Harry."

"Thanks for the assist Harry. You too Professor Lupin," Susan said.

"Happy to help, Ms. Bones," the older man said. Harry just nodded. "Harry, I'll see you in a few days."

"Definitely," Harry said and the older man walked away. Cedric stared after him in surprise.

"What is Professor Lupin doing here?"

"He's a friend of Akira's," Harry said, and Cedric nodded, taking the comment in stride. Fleur saw Susan react a little to that statement and realized Harry had just lied. She would not expect such an easy lie to roll off the tongue of the boy who was painted as a paragon of virtue in every book she had ever read about the fall of Voldemort. "This should be good." He pulled open a classroom door and ushered all the students in.

"Ok," Susan said once they were all in. "Mind telling us what's going on?"

"Well, from what I understand Cedric and Krum offered Fleur a bit of an alliance before," Harry said, He looked at Krum and Cedric for confirmation, and both young wizards nodded. "I'd like to add my voice to theirs and ask you to join in once more."

"Why would your voice change my earlier refusal?" Fleur said.

"Because I will be in first by the end of the day, and regularly face life threatening danger," Harry said with a casualness that startled everyone in the room. "Even I recognize that if we attack this tournament in competitors, there is a good chance that everyone of us might end up not finishing it."

"You have instruction from the Hayashi school?" Fleur asked. Harry's eyes widened a little in surprise.

"How did you put it together?" Harry said.

"Akira is here, and the man you called Remus mentioned Takashi," Fleur told him.

"Huh." Harry ran his hand through his hair. "Curious. But yes, I have. The fact you know that and I still want to team up should make you realize how serious this is, if the giant fire-breathing dragon didn't before."

"Fleur, I know you might not trust us but we really do believe that working together we can get through this tournament safely. We mean every word we say," Cedric added. Fleur looked at the Bulgarian wizard who nodded.

"They haven't said anything I don't agree with," Krum confirmed. Fleur wavered a little bit. It hurt her pride a little to accept help, but what the other champions were saying made perfect sense.

"Fleur, a moment?" Susan said, grabbing Fleur and dragging her to the far corner. "If even Harry is on board, you should really accept."

"What?" Fleur whispered.

"Fleur, he is going to get close to a perfect score with no effort. Even Karakoff will have to give him a high score after that. What's more, he has had a bit of a crazy life. There is a reason that even if though he is not super popular, the professors weren't too worried about his presence in the tournament."

"What do you mean?"

"Fleur, he can summon a corporeal Patronus." Fleur started a little at that. Her father could summon a Patronus, but his did not have a defined form.

"It's true," Cedric chimed in. "I have seen it." Susan had said that statement a little louder, so Cedric had overheard.

"He has killed a basilisk too." Susan added, not even trying to whisper anymore.

"I did not know that," Krum said.

"But if he did all of this, why was it not in the papers?" Fleur asked, very frustrated. These tasks were shocking, but she had heard none of this. "A basilisk being killed should be international news!"

"Good question," Susan said. They all turned to look at Harry.

"What, you don't want it known?" Cedric asked.

"Actually, I really don't care," Harry said.

"You don't want the fame or accomplishment?" Krum said.

"I've had enough of fame and accomplishment for one lifetime," Harry said. "I'd give anything to be out of this tournament. Victor, I assume you'd understand what I'm talking about." Krum nodded. "I'd like to be a normal 14 year old for once, worried about tests and the horribly nasty day I had."

"Nasty day?" Krum asked. "You helped beat up a dragon and will come in first."

"I'd trade all of that if it meant I wasn't single again," Harry said with a wry smile.

"Daphne broke up with you?" Susan almost shouted. "Why?"

"Long story," Harry said. Fleur could tell Susan was panicking. "Don't worry, we talked about it. We won't make Hannah or Neville split up, if that is why you are worried. We can still all be friends."

"It will make Patronus class a little awkward," Cedric added.

"You are teaching people how to conjure a Patronus?" Fleur asked. Harry nodded. "Could I join in?"

"So you are on board?" Cedric asked.

"Show me the Patronus, and I'll agree," Fleur countered. All eyes turned to Harry.

"Look, I've had a rubbish day so I don't know if it will work," Harry admitted. Cedric leaned in and whispered something to Harry, which caused the boy-who-lived to sport a giant smile. Harry whipped his wand out and he said "Expecto Patronum!" A giant stag the size of Fleur's closet walked out from Harry's wand and circled the young wizard.

"Woah," Cedric said. The stag walked up to Susan and Susan reached out for the stag.

"Prongs, play nice," Harry murmured just loud enough for everyone to hear. The stag turned to look at Harry and walked over to him, nuzzling him and Harry patted the stag.

"No way," Krum said, and Harry jerked his head towards Krum. The stag walked over and Krum put a hand on one of the antlers and Fleur jerked back in surprise.

"A solid Patronus," Cedric said as Prongs slowly faded from view. "I mean, Hermione told me but I couldn't believe it until I saw it."

"Oh, Hermione told you?" Harry said, poking Cedric in the ribs. "I didn't know you two were so close!" He laughed as Cedric blushed, and walked towards the door. "I'm sure the twins have some sort of party cued up for me for surviving the dragon. I'll see you all later."

"Harry!" Fleur called and Harry turned in the doorway. "I'm sorry I called you a little boy. It was uncalled for."

"Is that why you have been alternating between being mad and being guilty around me?" Harry asked. Fleur nodded a little. Harry gave a little laugh. "No need to be sorry. It's pretty accurate if you are talking about my age. My height however," Harry glanced at Fleur, who was a few inches taller, "you are what, 5'7?" Fleur nodded. "Well, I'm one inch shorter. I grew an inch since the year started. I think it has to do with my stretching. So I'll let it go until I catch up. Later." Harry walked out the door.

"I can't believe Daphne broke up with him," Cedric said. "They seemed crazy in love."

"Daphne is a very complicated girl," Susan said. Then she glared at the room. "This does not leave this room, but I'd appreciate it if some other random girl starts sniffing around Harry if you scare her off."

"Oh?" Cedric raised an eyebrow at Susan.

"Look, Harry will wake up tomorrow and be more withdraw once he has time to process. You'll see. He doesn't need to throw himself into the arms of the first random girl who likes the way he can dodge a dragon."

"And you are doing this just for Harry?"

"For now. In a few months? We'll see." Susan smiled and left the three champions alone in the classroom.

"So, we agreed to work together?" Krum asked. Cedric and Fleur nodded. "Good. How do we stand on keeping him single?"

"He had a girlfriend?" Fleur said, stilling trying to wrap her head around the massive amount of information she had learned about Harry Potter. She shook her head. He said to call him Harry, so she would think of him accordingly. Learning Harry had a girlfriend made her a little tense, a feeling she really didn't like.

"Yeah. She was gorgeous too, and really smart." Cedric shrugged. "I knew Harry liked her, and she was crazy about him. No idea why they split up. But Susan's right. This is Harry's first breakup, and while you guys didn't see it, Harry has some emotional issues with rejection. Since I'm sure we will be spending a decent amount of time together, let's keep an eye on him. I'm sure quite a few people wouldn't mind being on the arm of the great dragon master for the ball."

"Ball?" Krum asked.

"Wow, I am just the worst at keeping secrets!"


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: What do you think? Did enough happen to merit its own day? I am also very aware my updating has gone from regular to all over the place, and I'm sorry for that. While my schedule shifts around in real life, I will promise to do at least one chapter a week, and maybe two if I have a soft week.**

Chapter 25: Consequences

November, 1994

Harry slowly woke, his body aching a little as he regretfully swung his feet to the edge of the bed. He had managed all the action last night fine, but when he had finally gotten out of the party and made his way to bed at a little past midnight, his body added up a day worth of damage and gave him the bill. He eventually had to put a quieting spell on his bed's curtains so that his roommates could get back to sleep as he groaned his way through the pain.

It had been an odd night, even after the meeting with all the champions. After reaching the Gryffindor common room and finding a party in full swing, Fred and George had dragged him up to a table in the middle of the room for people to cheer for him. The rest of the quidditch team had been quick to apologize, and Harry was as quick to forgive. Charlie was happy to congratulate him, and also promised they would be chatting about what had happened after the dragon got loose which Harry reluctantly agreed to.

Ron and Seamus's apology was a little harder to accept, but Harry saw Hermione's pleading eyes and he agreed. He wasn't sure he wanted the two boys at their study group sessions, but it didn't hurt him to give Hermione a chance to get one of her closest friends back. Besides, anything was better than the constant griping Ron had aimed at him.

He had managed to slink into a corner of the common room and was insulated from the majority of the partiers by Dean, Neville, and Lavender. Dean had apparently seen Daphne crying as she ran back to the dungeons, and Harry admitted that he and Daphne had broken up. Neville and Dean tried to cheer him up at first, but soon all three of them were focused on cheering up Lavender who had broken down into uncontrollable tears at the news.

Eventually Harry made his way to bed, and now as he woke up he peered at his watch. He almost levitated out the bed as he jumped in surprise. It was 4:00 pm! Akira was going to murder him. Then his mind cleared and he took a deep breath. Akira had said he would get a day off after yesterday. He got dressed slowly even as his muscles protested. He was extremely hungry, so he resolved to go to the great hall. Maybe he could still get some food. Harry hesitated at the door to his room.

He didn't really want to talk to anyone right now. So he sat at the door for a few minutes, sure that the 4:00pm class period had started. Eventually he made his way down to the great hall, the hallways totally silent and empty much to Harry's relief. As he sat, he saw all the food was cleared.

"Well, how should I go about getting some food?" Harry said to himself. He looked around to make sure he was alone. "Kaito Suru," he said with a flourish of his wand. A small black hole appeared next to Harry. He smiled as he fished out a small white box. He popped the top off and grabbed a fork, digging into the chicken in the box.

Harry had learned quite a few useful Japanese spells from Akira and his father the last few days of summer. No real combat spells, but Kaito Suru directly translated as unzip. His space was small compared to his master's but it was a tiny pocket dimension where Harry could store things in suspension. He was under direct orders to make sure no one knew he could practice Japanese magic, but Harry was starving.

The only sound in the great hall was Harry eating. He quickly finished, and debating taking a little more food, but decided he was better served waiting until dinner. He could catch up with Hermione then, as he had barely had a chance to talk to her yesterday. Maybe she was done being mad. Besides, while he was not upset, he was curious to figure out if she was really getting closer to Cedric. The fact she had told him about Prongs suggested she was, and Harry was not about to miss the chance to tease Hermione about Cedric.

Harry didn't particularly feel like showing up in Astronomy after the insanity of the last 48 hours. So he stayed at the Gryffindor table and took out Charlie's letters. It would be nice if Charlie could stay for a few days, and his comment last night suggested he would be around at least until the weekend. Maybe Charlie would have a suggestion for next time. Harry laughed aloud as he realized his thought process had led to him believing he would have another encounter with a dragon. Though knowing his luck, it was more than likely. Maybe next time it would be 2. Eventually he moved on to his runes textbook.

Time seemed to pass fairly quickly, and soon Harry looked up to see the door to the great hall swing open. The first few people to walk in were familiar faces, and Harry almost smiled to see Draco and his goons. Draco sported a bandage over his nose, Goyle had a brace around his chest, and Nott had a cast on his right arm. Harry frowned about the cast. He couldn't remember hitting Nott on the arm, certainly not hard enough to him to break it.

"Potter," Draco snarled, heading straight for him.

"Nott, I didn't break your arm," Harry stated. "You fall down or something?"

"Yeah," Nott said, although he wouldn't meet Harry's eyes. Harry rolled his eyes. It really didn't matter to him. If he didn't break it, he couldn't care less.

"What the hell was that yesterday?" Draco demanded.

"I thought it was pretty clear," Harry said. He turned back to his letters but he heard Draco draw his wand and he prepared to dive out of the way.

"Draw your wand on a student who isn't looking!" Harry heard someone yell, and he looked up as Draco flew back. Cedric stood in the entrance to the great hall, Jason next to him with his wand out. Crabbe reached for his wand but Jason pointed his wand at him. "Don't even think about it. Pick up your fearless leader and slither back over to that cesspool you call a table. The three standing Slytherin hurried away after picking up Draco and Jason plopped down across Harry as Cedric sat next to him. "Harry, you shouldn't be so careless." Harry smiled and opened his right hand showing his wand hidden in his palm

"The second he said a word he'd be regretting it," Harry said. "Nevertheless, thanks for the help."

"Eh, any excuse to stun that moron is more than appreciated," Jason said. Cedric and Harry looked at each other, and then started laughing. "Something funny about that?"

"No, sorry," Harry said. "I think I said something very similar yesterday."

"You were the one who gave him that nasty nose?" Jason asked. Harry nodded. "Well done," Jason said. "What did you do?"

"Pretty sure I broke it with a backhand," Harry said. "No, was a palm strike, not a backhand. I got Goyle side of the head with the backhand."

"Harry, I know you kicked my ass when we fought but Fleur told us you took down four guys in a few seconds, all who had their wands out and then you literally broke a guy's face," Cedric said. "I think your skills are cool, but combine all of that and your actions two nights ago, and you seem to be getting pretty vicious."

"Draco and co might have really hurt Susan," Harry said. "What would you have done? If you have the power to do something, and other people get hurt, then it's kind of your fault. I can stop it. So I did. Besides, it was bullying, and you know what I do to bullies. I have a no tolerance policy."

"Yeah, I heard all about that craziness," Jason added. "Who was being bullied?"

"It was me," Luna said, sitting down on the other side of Harry, looking at Jason. "Hello Cedric," Luna said, looking across Harry. "I see you have a nasty case of Wrackspurts. If you like, I can try and get rid of them for you."

"It's Luna, right?" Cedric asked. Luna nodded. Someone plopped down next to Jason and Harry saw Krum nod at him. Harry was a little surprised. Krum had sat at the Slytherin table every previous meal to his recollection. "Hey Krum. New table?"

"Those four have been trying to talk to me every meal," Krum said, jerking his head over the table at the Slytherins. "After yesterday I don't think I could be civil, and I figured that fighting in the great hall would be frowned upon. The hall slowly filled up and Harry's surprise grew as he saw Charlie sitting next to Dumbledore and Professor . The biggest surprise was when Fleur walked right past the Ravenclaw table and sat down next to Luna, who was happy to explain all about Wrackspurts as well as Nargels, a creature that hid in mistletoe.

Slowly the table started to fill up with the normal Gryffindors but none of the surprise dinner guests showed any sign of moving as food began to circulate the table.

"Mr. Diggory," Harry heard from behind him as dinner was winding down. Although he had skipped most of his classes and had not been bothered since that first day, of course Severus Snape was on hand to ruin his day. "Might I ask what you are doing at the table?"

"Eating," Cedric said.

"Perhaps you would be more comfortable sitting with your housemates," Snape said, a sneer on his face.

"Nah, I think we are good here," Jason added.

"It was not a request," Snape said, the sneer turning into a frown.

"There is actually no rule against people eating at another houses table," Hermione said. Snape turned to her his eyes blazing. Cedric was sitting next to Hermione and he nudged her out of the way so Snape's burning gaze bore into the 6th year seeker instead.

"We will revisit this another time," Snape said. "Mr. Potter, if you could come with me?"

"Why?" Neville asked. "Harry was going to come back and help with homework. What do you need him for?" Harry put a hand across Neville's chest as he rose.

"It's ok Nev. I'm guessing this is about the fight in Ravenclaw. I hope it's just detentions," Harry said with a forced smile.

"Well, I hope the first task was exciting to you all," Dumbledore said, rising and silencing the hall. "Dragons were certainly exciting to me!" The twinkle was evident as he looked towards Harry and Cedric. "Unfortunately we could not give Mr. Potter a score at the time, but the judges have conferred, and after his impressive display and knowledge of dragons, Harry will be awarded 47 out of 50 points." The Gryffindor table exploded in cheers and although Harry was sure he about to be led off and given more detention than he had ever been given before, he couldn't keep a smile off his face.

"Smashing!" Dean said, giving Harry a hi-five.

"That puts Mr. Potter in first place, while Mr. Diggory is 2nd, with Mr. Krum and Ms. Delacour right behind him in that order," Dumbledore continued. "We noticed with the students that there was increased interest in the creatures known as dragons from the tournament. Dragons are fascinating creatures, and while our resident care of magical creatures professor, Hagrid knows some things about them, after discussion, we have decided to expand our knowledge of the creatures."

"No way!" Fred and George said in concert, looking at each other.

"What?" Neville asked.

"We will be offering an optional weekend seminar on dragons, taught by an expert who has agreed to stay on our staff for a few months. Many of you know him, as he was the ex-seeker of the Gryffindor house." The hall seemed to hold its breath. "I hope you will give a warm Hogwarts welcome to Professor Charlie Weasley!" Charlie rose and gave a small wave and the Gryffindor table broke into even louder cheers. "More information about his class will be given out this weekend, when he will hold the first class."

"Come along Potter," Snape said, grabbing him on the arm and hauling him out of the hall. Harry shook his arm loose with a glare and followed Snape towards the potion classroom.

"Professor Snape." Harry turned and saw his grandmother right behind him. "Might I ask where you are taking Mr. Potter?"

"We are going to my office to discuss his punishment for his acts in the Ravenclaw common room a few nights ago, as well as his assault on my students" Snape said, his voice harsh and grating like nails on a chalkboard.

"I believe the headmaster said that we would all gather in his office to discuss the issue, since it did seem to be an important issue," Professor McGonagall said. Snape sneered, but McGonagall took Harry and gently led him to the gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office. "Professor, why don't you go ahead? Mr. Potter and I will be in soon." Another sneer was on his face, but Snape turned to the Gargoyle without a word.

"Chocolate frogs." The Gargoyle swung open, and Snape walked into the headmaster's office.

"Now, Harry," his grandmother said. Then she gave him a tight hug. "I just wanted to say I'm proud of you for the dragon. I heard you helped Professor Hayashi subdue it."

"Thanks, Grandma Minnie," Harry said.

"But the accusations Severus has brought against you are serious. There is also the injuring of 5 students in the common room is no small thing. Filius may be able to help if it true that bullying was involved, but you still should not have attacked them."

"I know," Harry said. "I'll take any punishment related to it."

"I won't be able to say much against it," McGonagall said. "It would go against my reputation as a disciplinarian, though I'll try and convince Dumbledore to give some of the detentions to me so we can study for the next task." Harry nodded. "What I don't understand is what possessed you to attack 4 Slytherin students and a Beauxbatons student without provocation. Your aggression is starting to worry me and your brother."

"Without provocation?" Harry sputtered. "That's what those snakes said? Unbelievable!"

"Draco and the French boy were not telling the truth?" McGonagall asked.

"They were attacking the French champion!" Harry declared, his face flushed. "Susan was there too. You can ask her."

"Susan Bones?" Harry nodded. "Wait here. Don't go into Dumbledore's office until I get back, even if Akira gets here." His grandmother walked away, and Harry leaned against a banister, closing his eyes a little. Soon he heard footsteps, accompanied by the sound of wood striking the floor. He saw Professor Moody heading towards him.

"Potter. Heard you have been on a bit of a rampage."

"Might seem like it," Harry said.

"Well, up into Dumbledore's office," Moody said, his wooden leg clacking along with his staff. Harry stood still, and Moody whirled to face him. "You coming, Potter?"

"In a bit," Harry said.

"I've got stuff to do tonight," Moody snapped, taking a drink from his flask. "Let's get this over with."

"I'm waiting for someone," Harry said.

"We are all waiting for you," Moody said. "So come one!"

"Professor Moody!" Harry smiled in relief as Akira appeared at the end of the corner. "I didn't know you were called in for this meeting."

"Not by choice," Moody snapped. "I hear you are doing a decent job with my class."

"I try," Akira said with a sideways smile at Harry. He would have more than one ally in this meeting. "Let's head up into the headmaster's office. I'm sure he'll have a few words for us before Harry comes in." He guided Alastor past the gargoyle, leaving Harry alone on the stairs. It was quit for a few minutes, and Harry closed his eyes again to do some self reflection.

It had been stupid to attack the Ravenclaw students, but it had been a reaction and not a conscious thought. He didn't know Luna, even if she seemed interesting in their first interactions. He wanted to know more about Wrackspurts and Nargles, while Fleur and especially Krum seemed fascinated in the creatures at dinner tonight. Harry didn't know what would come of his actions, but he knew that if he had the power to stop the bullying and he didn't, it would eat him up.

The actions against the Slytherins he didn't regret in the slightest. Breaking the jaw of the French boy was unintentional, but very satisfying. Regardless of whether or not his actions were justified, Harry realized McGonagall was right. He tended to clench his fists or reach for his wand first and try and talk after he put his enemies down. Harry didn't know if that was really a part of himself he could, or even wanted to change. But it was something to think about.

"Harry!" Susan called, running down the corridor towards him. "Professor McGonagall said that Draco and the other Slytherins are saying you attacked them unprovoked?" McGonagall was right behind her with Fleur in tow. "That's ridiculous."

"Ms. Delacour was willing to add to your defense," his grandmother said. "Let's head into Dumbledore's office. This should be more than enough to give Draco and his crew some form of punishment."

"Madame Maxime was quite upset you broke Maxwell's jaw," Fleur said right before they headed in. "I thought it was, how do you say it Susan, brilliant?"

"Something like that," Susan said. All four walked in to Dumbledore's office, which had the two Defense against the Dark Arts teachers, the 3 other heads of house, Madame Maxine, and of course the headmaster of Hogwarts. Dumbledore looked a little surprised when he saw the two students accompanying Harry.

"Why is there need of an audience?" Snape asked. "Isn't it clear what Mr. Potter has done?"

"Apparently not," McGonagall said. "Ms. Bones and Ms. Delacour seemed to have a different recollection of the events last evening. Ms. Delacour?"

"Susan and I were talking about the task outside," Fleur said, "when Maxwell and the four other students came out. He insulted me, and then he and the other students attacked me. The spells they used were dangerous. Maxwell used a cutting spell, and two of the four Hogwarts students threw dangerous spells as well. If Harry had not come when he did, they could have killed me." Susan nodded in agreement.

"How dare they!" Maxime said. "Fleur, why did you not tell me this? I will send Maxwell home immediately! Dumbledore, you must punish your students as well!"

"How do we know that she isn't lying to protect Mr. Potter?" Professor Sprout the herbology professor and head of Hufflepuff house asked. "We only have her word and it seems that the champions seem to have become friends in the face of common danger."

"Yes, we will speak more about the closeness of the champions later but it does seem that the only thing we know is that Mr. Potter put multiple students in the hospital ward," Snape snapped. McGonagall looked around but no other professor said anything.

"Harry didn't lie," Susan said.

"Excuse me, but I will be willing to submit to legilimency or submit my memory to a pensieve if you have one. I understand they are quite rare," Fleur said, breaking the sulence

"Legilimency would solve the issue," Dumbledore said.

"You will do no such thing!" the French Headmistress claimed. "Legilimency is no way to find evidence."

"You are correct," Dumbledore said. "If used improperly legilimency could cause serious damage." He stroked his beard as his eyes bore into Fleur. "as it so happens, I do happen to have a pensieve. Ms. Delacour, how is it you know about such a rare device?"

"My father was head of the French aurors," Fleur said. Harry looked at her curiously. "He instructed me on many magical devises as a child."

"If you would be so good as to provide your memory?" Dumbledore asked. Fleur nodded and brought her wand to her temple. Harry was about to move forward but McGonagall grabbed him. A look of concentration crossed Fleur's face, but then a silver wisp emerged from her head. Dumbledore gestured and a rocky bowl with no bottom appeared on his desk. Harry watched in fascination as Fleur placed her wand on the object, and the hole in the center of the object seemed to ripple with a watery substance appearing.

"There," Fleur said.

"Madamxe Maxim, Severus, Minerva, this concerns your students," Dumbledore said. "Would you like to join me?" The two professors and two headmasters all hung their heads over the bowl and then went silent and motionless.

"What is going on?" Susan asked.

"I provided a memory of the attack, and now the professors can view my memory," Fleur said.

"We are lucky Dumbledore has a pensieve," Akira said. "By my understanding the knowledge of how to construct them has been lost. Most have been lost. I wonder how Dumbledore got this one."

"I believe it was given to him by the Flammels years ago," the diminutive professor Flitwick said. Harry knew he would need Flitwick's support, since it was members of his house Harry had attacked in the other instance.

All four people yanked their heads up at once. Snape's sneer was gone, while McGonagall bore a smile. Dumbledore's eyes had a small twinkle, and Madame Maxime was clearly furious. She walked over to Fleur and whispered something in her ear. Fleur nodded, and the two French witches walked out of the office.

"It would seem Ms. Delacour and Ms. Bones were correct," Dumbledore said. "Severus, the conduct of your students was quite concerning."

"They are my students, so I will discipline them personally," Severus said. "Now to the matter of the Ravenclaws."

"Severus," Dumbledore said, the humor gone from his voice. "The only thing you should be doing is going back to your house and dealing with the four people we just saw. Their behaviour was beyond the pale. I do not believe your presence is required for the second matter."

"But-"

"That will be all, Severus." Dumbledore pointed at the door. Severus stared daggers at Harry, who chose to ignore him. The potions professor whirled and walked out the door, cloak billowing behind him. "Professor Sprout, perhaps you could escort Ms. Bones back to the dorm. Alastor, I would appreciate it if you could speak to Maxime and figure out what her recommendations are, and to pass them along to Severus. Professr Hayashi, please go with Severus to make sure the punishments are fair." Soon the office was clear, and only his grandmother, Professor Flitwick, and the headmaster were with Harry.

"Mr. Potter, after a display like that, I think that awarding you 25 points is the only fair response," McGonagall said.

"Yes, but it did seem like your final blow was excessive," Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eye. "In the future, please try and avoid tricking someone into attacking them so that you can counter them. As for Slytherin, attacking a guest is quite a serious offense. I think taking 25 points from each of them would be a fair response. I suspect Severus might not agree, but I will be quite firm in that regard." Harry nodded. Dumbledore had just ensured Slytherin would be harshly punished and that he would not even get a detention. All the frustration Harry had towards the elderly wizard abated. Dumbledore was still in his corner, which was something Harry didn't even realize he missed until the moment he knew he had not lost it.

"All of that seems fair," Professor McGonagall said.

"Now, we must turn to an event in which there is no disputing. Your attack in the Ravenclaw dormitory 2 nights hence," Dumbledore said.

"Headmaster, it is only fair I know who accused me," Harry said.

"I do not think I can do that," Dumbledore said.

"I can," Professor Flitwick said. "Although I understand you threatened my students if they came forward, in fact it was Miss Lovegood who came to me."

"What?" Harry was poleaxed.

"Yes, but she would still like to be your friend," Flitwick said with a smile. "She did not come forward to accuse you, but rather to try and plead for me to lessen your sentence. When she realized that I did not know she was devastated. I hope that you will not cut her off as a result of this. She has had a hard childhood and I think that with the right support she could become a brilliant witch."

"Of course I won't cut her off," Harry said, incredibly relieved. When Flitwick had told him Luna had told on him, Harry had been worried. Although he had known her for less than a week, he sensed something unusual with Luna, and genuinely wanted to know more about her. It looked that while she did not know a lot about the world, she had no issue accepting his aid. There was something about her that made her feel like a kindred spirit. "Though to be honest, I don't know what a Wrackspurt is. Maybe I'll look it up after I'm done serving detentions."

"Harry, I need you to be honest," Dumbledore said. "Is there really a bullying problem in Ravenclaw?"

"Problem, professor?" Dumbledore nodded. "I don't know. I wouldn't want to generalize about the whole house." Flitwick nodded happily. "But Luna was being bullied, and rather viciously. She was not allowed in the common room without being teased. The nicknames were far from nice either, and it seemed she got them from everyone. I'm 100% it is worse, but I'm not sure how bad. They are stealing her stuff too. It's a problem with Luna, and in my experience bullies don't usually stick to one victim."

"Dumbledore, that sounds serious enough to require intervention," Flitwick admitted. "If anything, I should be thanking for Harry for exposing this problem. But we cannot condone violence."

"Might I propose a solution?" Dumbledore said. "Harry, you will lose the 25 points you gained before and spend an unspecified amount of time in detention with Professor Flitwick. Specifically, you can do some research around your Patronus charm, perhaps with the people you have been teaching?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I understand you undertook the burden of teaching you fellow students."

"Yeah, Akira suggested it would be a good way to expand my social circle," Harry said.

"Curious, isn't it?" Dumbledore said. "A year where you are once again embroiled in controversy, yet you seem to have more friends than ever, even friends who have only known you a few months. Harry, you never cease to amaze me."

"Mr. Potter, I will go deal with the bullies, and see what is going on. I will expect you at my office tomorrow after dinner. Could you provide me with a list of people who you have been teaching tomorrow in class? Feel free to invite anyone you want, and we will exclude the rest. I will retain discretion to add a few myself."

"Of course," Harry said, nodding respectfully at the half goblin professor as he left the room.

"Before you go," Dumbledore said, "Our new professor has something to say." Charlie walked into the room, patting Harry on the back.

"Harry, I looked into the first task with the other senior handler. Someone had tampered with the chain we had the dragon tied to."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised."

"Well, that wasn't all. Someone had slipped an aggression pill into its food. Thank god for Professor Hayashi. Normal methods would not have been able to contain it with that level of aggression," Charlie explained. "Harry, someone is trying to make sure you don't survive this tournament."

"Oh, I know," Harry said. He said it with such a relaxed tone that all three remaining teachers were startled. "I'm not sure who but…" He trailed off, unsure if he should share his growing suspicion.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked. Harry sighed, but after Dumbledore's clever manoeuvring to get him out of serious trouble, he suspected he could trust the headmaster again.

"Well, after the first DADA class, someone has been trying to break my mental shield. Snape tried it the first day with passive legilimency and let's just say it didn't work out well for him. But this attack isn't as powerful as an active attack. It's weird too. Sometimes it happens when I am alone, or with other students. It's a sharp stabbing pain, but it feels like legilimency even if it isn't. Sir, only one person has ever tried to break into my mind before."

"What's he talking about?" Charlie asked.

"Charlie, the only person who has made my head like this was Professor Quirrell, and he was possessed by Voldemort at the time." Charlie was the only one who inhaled sharply at the name. "If he is the one who got me into the tournament, it suggests he has some kind of control on someone here."

"I'll look into Barty Crouch," McGonagall said. "Charlie, can you investigate Ludo Bagman?"

"Easy," Charlie said. "But there are four other suspects."

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked.

"Headmaster, you hired two new professors this year."

"Akira is above suspicion, and Alastor put away more death eaters than the rest of his department," McGonagall refuted hotly. Charlie looked suspicious, but he held his hands up in surrender.

"Fine. However, I would keep an eye on Headmaster Karakoff and Madame Maxime." Charlie said.

"I will keep an eye on them," Dumbledore said. "Though I am sure they have nothing to do with it."

"Well, I guess I better go design a curriculum," Charlie said with a laugh. "Never thought I'd say that."

"I'll fund any books you need," Dumbledore said to Charlie as he departed. "One last thing before you leave with, Minnie, is it?" Harry glanced at his grandmother, who shook her head. "Oh, secrets have a way of getting into my hands. Don't worry, I have no interest in sharing that secret. I just wanted to confirm it myself." Dumbledore waved his wand and Harry saw the faint blue glow around him and his transfiguration professor. "Fascinating. I had no idea that Lily was adopted."

"None of us did," McGonagall said. "Now we should get Harry back to his common room." Dumbledore nodded, although Harry could tell his thoughts were elsewhere. McGonagall led Harry out of the common room and gave him a quick hug before sending him on his way.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

Chapter 26: The Next Level

November, 1994

Harry just sat there, watching the footwork. That was where it always started. It didn't matter how strong it was, how fast it was, how clean the form was. It all started with the footwork, the movement at a very simplistic and basic level. Defense, offensive, counters, it didn't matter if his feet were not in the right place.

"Ok?" Akira asked, stopping the movement seeing Harry's eyebrows kneaded together.

"Not particularly," Harry said. "It seems pretty complex, and it feels like we are skipping over some pretty important points."

"Of course we are," Akira said. "You just fought a dragon. After a talk with my father, we agreed that speeding up your training is fairly important. You need to learn this stuff before you move on to the next level. Just to make sure you are conditioned properly for it."

"You have said next level a lot over the last few days," Harry told him. "But you never really explained what the next level is. Isn't it just improving my skills and learning more forms?"

"Harry, are you purely a martial artist?" Akira asked. Harry just blinked, clearly unsure at how to answer the question. Akira rubbed his temples a little bit. He had never taught the next level to anyone yet. The plan had been for Harry to start this instruction over winter break. But there were two key problems with that.

The first was that it took time to learn what Akira was teaching him. Normally, it would take somewhere in between 4 and 6 months. But a lot of things were coming to a head and it seemed like Harry would be incredibly busy the next few months, and even if he was able to find time in the day to train every day and still get reasonable sleep, it seemed unlikely he would be able to master the skills in the three months he had before the next task.

The second problem was based in Asia. The original idea had been for his father and Nambung Sa Bum to start the training for Harry, and Akira would then scale the training up after an extended discussion with his father about what Harry could and could not do. But his father was covered in paperwork and bureaucratic nonsense due to the emergence of an anti-normal faction in the Asian government.

The Asian magical government did not use the term muggle like Europe did, believing it was a slur and stereotype. Along with that, there government was filled with people without magic, so it was just a division between magical people and normal people. For the most part, wizards were able to co-exist with their normal counterparts, better in Asia than places like North America and Europe. But that didn't mean it was all smooth sailing.

In fact, over the last few years, there had been a vocal but small group that spoke out against equality for normal people, while also stoking fears about friendly relations with other magically powerful countries. The rise of Grindelwald and Voldemort only served as examples of the problems of other countries to combat "dark" forces. His father's superiors had managed to keep those issues away from public debate, but they could no longer do that as that small group was big enough to have seats on every governing body now.

His father was fully committed to normalizing relationships with the normal world and other countries governing magical bodies. However to take such an open stance he needed allies to support him, even if it meant taking a slightly more close-minded stance than he would have preferred. Finding friendly faces in government was extremely challenging, especially with xenophobia and paranoia rising every day in the general population. So his father no longer had time for the delicate instruction Harry needed.

Normally, Nambung would handle the instruction. But he had been giving a classified mission by very important people. Even his father, one of the most powerful people in the Asian Ministry of Magic was totally unaware of the mission until he had reached out to Korea to see if Nambung was available. Despite threats, bribes and coercion, the only thing his Takashi Hayashi had been able to figure out was that the mission was supposed to be completed by January but might last longer. It was not unheard of for Nambung to disappear for a month or two, but for one of the most lethal men in Asia to need 3 months to take care of an issue was concerning to his father, concerning enough to try and put in on the agenda for the main governing body to learn more out what was going on.

All of those factors meant that Harry would not be getting the instruction from the people best suited to teach the most dangerous technique of the Hayashi School, a secret passed down through many generations and known to a selected few outside the school. While his father had granted Akira the permission to teach the skill to Harry, if it was utilized improperly, it could lead to serious injury, so it took a few days of serious internal dialogue for Akira to decide it was necessary for Harry to learn the skill.

"To answer the question for you, of course you are not purely a martial artist," Akira said. "You are also a wizard."

"Sure," Harry said, unsettled by the question.

"Didn't you ever think it was weird that I banned you from using magic when you use martial arts?" Akira asked.

"I mean, it was frustrating at times but it made sense," Harry told him. "Remember at the beginning of the year, when you made the point to Hermione that if you wanted to learn a skill, you should practice it at the exclusion of others. It how all my training has been, magical or otherwise."

"Right," Akira said. "But that doesn't mean the two can't coexist. Imagine a normal martial artist who is at a higher level than you. How can you defeat him?"

"Are you saying I should use magic?"

"The same applies for wizards and witches and martial arts, as I am sure you already figured out." Harry nodded at that. Almost every interaction with a magical person left others in his wake if he was permitted to use the skills he had learned over the summer and improved with Akira since September. He had seen very few wizards, no matter how wise or powerful recognize martial arts, and even fewer who knew how to counter it with magic.

"So I use something they have never seen before to win fights?" Harry asked.

"I feel like it would be hard to use only magic or martial arts when you have access to both," Akira. "Therefore the next level is twofold. The first is being able to use them in concert when you are in a fight, and that is the skill you will be learning at the present." Harry was still confused. "Maybe a demonstration is in order. Focus on defense." Akira drew his wand and Harry followed suit. "Ok, so you are only allowed to use magic." Harry nodded.

It happened so fast that the next thing Harry felt was water spilling out of Akira's wand to wake him up. He faintly remembered Akira's movement and he was backpedaling under the assault. Then Akira had cast two spells, switching hands with his wand and using the free hand to attack Harry with skills from the Hayashi school. Harry couldn't keep up, and after casting a spell to block a stunner, he had left himself exposed and Akira's backhand had caught him flush on the temple. Then he was waking up.

"Woah," Harry said. "That was impressive."

"Granted, it's a tough skill, but it necessary for the second part of the next level. Do you remember what I did when we fought the dragon?"

"Yes. You were covered in a weird substance, but you seemed much stronger than I had ever seen you, even when you spared with Nambung or the other senior students over the summer."

"That technique is called Basutosutorimu." Harry didn't recognize the word. That wasn't unusual as his knowledge of the Japanese language was basic at best. But hearing the word brought to mind a memory from months ago

August 1994

"It is too dangerous!" Hayashi-san had said. Harry was a little surprised. He knew that Hayashi-san and Nambung Sa Bum had arguments about his training. But usually they kept it private and under wraps. It was very unusual for them to fight in front of him. Hayashi-san seemed violently upset, and Nambung looked incredibly dismissive. For two people who respected each other immensely to be fighting in front of him was incredibly awkward. Even Akira, who was sitting in on the meeting as well as another senior student with magic were unsettled.

"I feel like we can guide him through it," Nambung Sa Bum. "Learning anything is dangerous. But this is a key part of the training. What do you plan to do?"

"He can learn when he has the skills to utilize it!" Hayashi-san shouted. "He isn't strong enough yet. He may never be strong enough, and there is no shame in that. Stop treating him like this!"

"Like what?" Nambung Sa Bum spat. "Like someone we should invest in for our future? Because there is more in the world than Asia? That we might have a responsibility beyond our borders? I understand you have primarily domestic concerns. But things are starting to get bigger than us, and we will need allies to combat that."

"He is a child!" Hayashi-san said. "Let him keep that a little longer."

"Harry stopped being a child the moment his parents were killed!" Hayashi-san paled at that statement. "Let me remind you that if you had not treated a man, who was only 21 years younger than you, like a child, he and his wife might have been alive today." Harry knew that Hayashi was in his mid 50s but was still a vibrant and powerful man due to his magic and his training. But at that statement, his karate master looked weaker and older than Harry had ever seen him, as if the life has been sucked out of him.

"I know," Hayashi-san said, tears in his eyes. "Don't think I have beaten myself over that for years. James was special. If he truly devoted himself, he could have attained Basutosutorimu even at his late age."

"So don't make the same mistake," Nambung Sa Bum said, putting a hand on his friend. "I will start preparing his mind. You must prepare for the winter. That will be 6 months."

"Ok," Hayashi-san said. "We will do what me must."

"Harry, with me," Sa Bum said, and Harry followed him out to the middle of the garden. "The first thing you will need to continue your training is key to everyday life, as well as protecting your mind and improving my occlumency."

"I thought my occlumency was already strong."

"It is, but it needs to become even stronger before you are ready to move to the next stage of your training," Nambung Sa Bum explained. "Now, I want you to find the lake in your mind."

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

November, 1994

"Basutosutorimu directly translated means burst stream," Akira said. "It is a technique that allows you to convert magical power to physical power. It will make you the most dangerous student in this school for a short period of time. However, it will also carry significant risks. If you stay in the form too long, you will risk total exhaustion. Any longer, and you might damage your magical core or ruin your muscles beyond repair. It is necessary you learn it, but just hope you never have occasion to use it. I will not teach you the incantation or the wand movement until it is time. Until then, you have one task."

"What task?" Harry asked.

"You know the calm mind state you used when you fought the dragon? The one you use to strengthen your occlumency?" Harry nodded. "Did you notice something when you fired the spell as a distraction for the dragon?"

"Now that you mention it, when I did that, I wasn't as focused, because I needed to drop out of that state to remember my plan. It was following through a thought process to get a reaction, instead of proactive action from indicators."

"Good," Akira said, pleased Harry had come to the realization on the first try. "Now, your task is simple. I want you to fire 3 spells while remaining in the calm mind state."

"Ok," Harry said, instantly apprehensive. Obviously remaining in this state while he used spells, something that required cognitive thought would be challenging.

"That's not all," Akira said. "I need you to chain the spells. Also, you need to one charm, one hex, and one transfiguration."

"That's impossible," Harry said. Chaining spells was hard enough and required most of his thought. To move seamless from one spell to another required amazing focus and concentration, something entirely different from the calm mind state. Harry had never managed to chain more than two spells, and they were both hexes

"Well, you can do the three in any order." Harry just stared blankly at Akira. "Well, Neville is almost finished with his second lap." Harry turned and saw that Neville was indeed almost done with his second lap of the grounds. He glanced at his watch and a small smile formed on his face. Akira had promised that if Neville could two laps in 30 minutes, he would begin his martial arts training in earnest. Neville reached Harry at 28 minutes and 34 seconds, absolutely drenched in sweat.

"Good job, Mr. Longbottom," Akira said, patting the boy on the back. "Why don't you take a two minute break, and then we will get started." Neville beamed at him and then collapsed to the ground, taking deep heaving breaths. "Harry will be doing some self-directed study for the rest of the week, so I can give you personal attention for a while." Harry helped Neville to his feet and patted him on the back.

"Well, it was good knowing you." Harry said with a half-smile. "I know I barely survived personal attention."

"I just don't get it!" Harry complained. Normally, it took him a few days to master a new spell or a technique Akira taught him. It was Friday now and he had detention in 30 minutes with his now expanded Patronus class. Detention had eaten into his training time, and he was still no closer to the task Akira had set for him on Monday. Forget about chaining a hex and a charm, he couldn't cast one spell while remaining in the calm mind state.

There had been times where he struggled with new things. If it was a spell, Hermione or his Grandma could help him out. If it was a martial arts issue, then Akira would usually work him through it. But this was a combination of the two. His grandma and Hermione didn't even have occlumency, so the calm mind state would not make any sense to them. This didn't even take into account that Akira refused to give him any hints and told Harry he had to work through this on his own.

"Look, I wish I could help you out with this, but this whole calm mind state sounds crazy," Neville told him. They were sitting in the common room, which was currently deserted. Harry had given up on trying to chain together combat spells as there was no real place to do it in the castle, and by his estimation it would be easier to use simpler spells.

"Yeah it took me a while to learn," Harry said, "and I'm still some distance from total mastery. I was able to get to where I am now in less than two months because I spent 4 hours a day on it, and it was driven by necessity. It's crucial to moving forward in the Hayashi style though, and you did say you wanted to learn."

"You didn't bother to talk me out of it?"

"Hey, Akira said that if you get in better shape a lot of aspects of your life will improve. He wasn't lying. Last time I checked, you were doing better in class, you are able to wake up on your own in the morning for training. Oh, not to mention you have a wonderful girlfriend."

"That last thing doesn't have anything to do with training!" Neville protested.

"Nev, while I am sure that eventually Hannah would have fallen for your irresistible charm, it certainly doesn't hurt to have muscle definition. Akira told me that one," Harry said, totally straight faced

"Harry, how many girls have come up to you this week, wanting to talk all about how amazing you did in the first task and how much they have admired you since first year?"

"I know this is going to sound tacky, but I honestly lost count," Harry admitted. "What surprised me was how many students from the other schools asked. Durmstrang did not bring a lot of girls and quite a few of them wanted to talk about it, as did the girls of Beauxbatons. A lot of those students were 6th year or higher. It's insane."

"You did come in first," Neville said, "while showing off skills that most of them have never seen. People thought you were creating illusions of yourself."

"Karkaroff didn't recognize the style, but he knew what I was doing," Harry told him. "Akira set up a sparing session with one of his students later. I have to hide the key techniques of my style while trying to get the student to show off his specialties. Very cloak and dagger. Even the fight is a secret from almost everyone. Akira made me promise to not even tell McGonagall, and I tell her almost everything. So it goes without saying, please keep it a secret."

"Of course. Hey, don't you have Patronus class soon?" Neville said. Harry glanced at his watch and nodded.

"Does the whole school know about that now? It was supposed to stay a secret."

"Who knew Hufflepuff would be the worst gossips?" Neville mentioned "God, I hope Hannah doesn't tell anyone about my parents."

"I'm sure she won't" Harry lied. He knew Hannah had already told Susan and probably Daphne, but Susan and Daphne could keep it a secret and there was nothing to be gained by putting strain on Neville and Hannah's relationship. The breakup with Daphne had certainly made the study sessions awkward and forced, and Harry realized, after a discussion with Lavender that the reason it was hard for Hannah was become she was torn between Neville's unquestioning loyalty to Harry and her friendship with Daphne even though Harry didn't attend the study sessions as often as he had in the past.

"Ok, go teach, Professor," Neville said. Harry waved over his shoulder as he headed out to the charms classroom. He was a little early when he arrived, but the classroom was almost full, even with Professor's Flitwick expanding charm. Harry knew a decent portion of the students. Jason, Cedric, Angelina, Daphne, and Cho, the original five as Harry called them in his mind, were all there. Daphne had rejoined the class after informing Harry she was struggling with the charm and could not create her animal anymore.

The Weasley twins and the other three champions rounded out the students Harry knew. There were a few 6th year from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff that he didn't know, and a few 7th years from all 4 houses. It had taken a long discussion with Flitwick to convince Harry to allow Slytherin's into the meeting, though Harry had put his foot down when Flitwick asked him if the 4th years from Slytherin could attend, as some had expressed interest.

"Harry!" Professor Flitwick said from the podium behind his desk. "I think that the students are making great progress. Most of them are able to conjure the mist."

"Yeah, I'm thinking that perhaps we should focus on making sure they can create a shield for the time being. Although some of the students are probably better equipped to work on a corporeal Patronus, I don't think separating them would do any good."

"This is your class," Flitwick said with a laugh. "I'm just here to make sure you serve you detention properly."

"Speaking of that, how close am I to serving it out? I do have a death-defying tournament to prepare for."

"Didn't we already agree on your goal?" Harry nodded reluctantly. He was hoping Flitwick would relent. "Until a student produced a physical Patronus. Isn't that wonderful motivation to work hard?"

"Delightful," Harry said with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

"Why don't you get started Professor Potter?" Flitwick said with a gleam in his eyes.

"I hate you," Harry said under his breath. He turned to the class who were all chatting. Although he could have yelled for silence, Harry had determined that raising an eyebrow at the last few students was more effective and within a few seconds all the students were silent. "Well, let's get started then."

For the next hour, Harry walked around the classroom, urging students on and giving direction where it was needed. The closest to forming a corporeal Patronus were Daphne and to Harry's surprise, Fleur. He had talked a little with Fleur after a Patronus class earlier in the week and was surprised to find that her life was not entirely dissimilar to his, Although boys drooling over her allure was a little different than the reaction to his scar, it was hard for both of them to know who their real friends were at times. In a few ways Fleur's childhood and early teenage years had been as challenging as Harry's, so he was quite curious as to what her memory was, even if he would never ask.

Harry spent a few minutes trying to explain the intermediate step of guiding your mist into a form when he heard an excited shout. He turned and saw the form of Daphne's animal start to taking a defined form, and he raced over. There was a look of intense concentration and Harry quickly summoned Prongs to try and urge her on. There was a bright flash, and then the mysterious cat was back, looking around for a few seconds before it flicked out.

"Great job Daphne," Harry said quietly, grabbing an arm to hold the exhausted girl up. "Ok, you all know that it is possible. If you are having problem with a corporeal form, I'd encourage you to start by forming the mist into a shield first. That's a different way to learn it."

"I didn't know that I'd ever be able to get it back," Daphne said tiredly. "It's exhausting when your memory is not as strong."

"Without a doubt," Harry said. "Getting Prongs to take a solid form has been much harder since…"

"Since I broke your heart?" Daphne said.

"Are we at a stage where we can joke about it?" Harry asked.

"No, I think I forced it," Daphne said, and although she had a smile Harry could tell it was strained. "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Harry said. "I'll never blame you for being honest about how you feel. Your feelings changed."

"Harry, I" Harry saw something that looked like sadness in Daphne's eyes, so he quickly turned away. What he said was true, but there was no part of him that wanted to talk about it, especially not with Daphne. The so-called Patronus class continued for another 30 minutes, and Fleur remained the closest, but Harry was too emotionally tired to do much more than take a short nap.

"Harry," Cedric saw, shaking him awake. "All done." Harry looked around to see the few students remaining picking up their backs.

"No progress?" Harry asked. Cedric shook his head. "That sucks. Hopefully you all can take care on your own from now on."

"What are you talking about?" Cedric asked.

"My deal with Flitwick was to help until someone got a corporeal Patronus."

"So that's it?" Cedric asked, clearly frustrated. "Harry, you started teaching us all week ago. That isn't that much help."

"Look, at the end of the day it isn't a spell that requires too much instruction," Harry said, "Even though Daphne is the farthest along, it's not like I can get a dementor here even if I wanted too. I don't know that I can tell anyone anything more, other than try and make happier memories or get more powerful, but that is beyond trite."

"I guess," Cedric said.

"Besides, I have something coming up that I need to practice for."

"Need any help?" Cedric asked.

"No, I should be ok," Harry told him.

"Well, whether or not you will be ok is still a matter of debate," Krum said. "From what I understand, Vasiliy is a dangerous adversary."

"What is he talking about?" Fleur asked.

"I have a spar on Monday with a boy from Durmstrang, which was supposed to be a SECRET" Harry said, glaring at Krum. "Karkaroff's apprentice, I think. Akira doesn't trust your headmaster and wants to see if he can figure out what his martial art style is. Hopefully I can make Vasiliy show some of his special martial arts skills and that Akira can recognize them. If Karkaroff is really here to cause trouble, that knowledge could prove crucial." Harry glanced at Victor and shrugged. "Sorry Victor."

"It's no problem," the Bulgarian replied. "Like I said, I'm not too fond of him. But I've heard some nasty rumors about Vasiliy's family. His uncle was wanted for murder and use of the unforgivables in Russia."

"Then it should be fun," Harry said, cracking his knuckles. "But I'll let Akira know, and he can keep an eye on his wand."

"I know you probably see the odds as a challenge, but getting injured isn't worth a victory," Krum said. "You will still have to compete in the tournament."

"Don't you trust me?" Harry said, patting Krum on the shoulder. "As much as it may surprise you, I am not too bad at fighting."

"Just be careful," Fleur added.

"Thank you for the concern," Harry told them, and swung his back over his back. "I'll see you guys on Tuesday." Apparently Akira was going to expand and clear out a room on the 5th floor to train in. Since there would be no wands during the spar, he would temporarily suspend his chain casting training.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

"It's nice to meet you," Vasiliy said, extending his hand. His hand was rough and callous, which made Harry smile a bit. His hands were the hands of a fighter. "I haff heard vonderful things about your skills."

"As have I," Harry said. The weekend had been very useful specialized training with Akira, leaving him ready to fight in top condition on Monday. Vasiliy tightened his grip, but Harry just ignored it. It wasn't that tight, which Harry figured was due to weak forearms. Vasiliy definitely had big muscles, but they were focused in the normal areas like his chest, legs, and biceps. It would certainly hurt if Vasiliy hit him square.

"Ok, are you two ready to go?" Karkaroff asked. "Let's hurry this up. Vasiliy has class tonight."

"Don't be so hasty," Akira said, and gave Harry a wink. "How about we make sure that he gets through this ok?"

"Vasiliy!" Karkaroff snapped something off in Bulgarian, which Harry ignored. He took two deep breaths, and just like that his mind was calm. Vasiliy turned and gave a half bow, but Harry could already tell from his feet that the bow was a fake and was able to avoid the sucker punch. The Durmstrang student began to circle sizing his opponent up, but Harry kept a look of total disinterest on his face, keeping his mind calm.

The fight commenced at high speed. Vasiliy was clearly interested in landing a big blow early, and Harry wondered if it might be because the big boy lacked stamina. The blows were so heavy that Harry had to dodge and deflect. If he took one of the blows straight up, he might not be able to walk that off.

It was only a minute on defense before Harry saw his opening. In frustration his opponent overextended, and Harry latched onto the arm and used Vasiliy's momentum to spin him over his head, but intentionally pulled the throw short, leaving his side exposed. Vasiliy made a cup with his hand and with a vicious swipe cut Harry's side.

It was all well and good to try and figure out someone's style but Harry was not about to let himself get cut up. He dodged a few more swipes and then Vasiliy switched it up, his arms swinging at seemingly impossible angles. Eventually Harry got fed up of dodging. It was time to take a chance. He dove inside Vasiliy's range, and stamped on his left foot before his opponent could kick. Vasiliy was pinned in place.

The punch Harry threw was not a normal punch. He rotated every joint in his body from his knee up through his elbow all the way to the shoulder. It was technique that Nambung had taught him for increasing power against bigger opponents, and normally Harry would not show that technique in front of other fighters. But Vasiliy had forgotten the true purpose of the spar and his body was directly between Harry and his master.

The Bulgarian flew back and crashed to the ground. As he struggled to rise, Harry crossed the distance with a movement technique and grabbed his opponent's head, preparing to bring his knee into the face of his opponent. Before he could react, Karkaroff was there pulling his student away, as was Akira holding Harry in place.

"I will not forget this," the Bulgarian headmaster snapped at Akira as he walked Vasiliy out the door.

"Good job," Akira told Harry. "I recognized it. Those cups hands gave you a few cuts."

"Yeah," Harry said. He held his side, which had the biggest cut. But Vasiliy had caught him once on his upper chest and another time on the cheek. "My shirt is ruined." Harry tossed the shirt off, and Akira brought out his wand.

"Let's get you healed up. Episkey." The cuts closed up as Akira administered the spell on every cut. "Did he land a solid hit on you?"

"My side is a little sore. I wasn't expecting the change in his range when he changed to his dominant style," Harry explained. "Though I don't think he was able to do more than cut me."

"Let's see." Akira waved his wand over the now-healed cut in Harry's side, and stared at the skin. "Yeah, just a graze. Be careful though. If he had gotten deep in with that curved hand, you'd be in the infirmary for a while."

"But you know what the style is?" Harry asked. Akira nodded. "Good news or bad?"

"Very very bad," Akira said. "It's a very attacking style that focused on doing damage and has limited self-defense, because if you get a serious hit in your opponent isn't walking away. It's a form of Krav Maga, which was developed in the Middle East. They play for keeps in that region of the world. Interesting to see someone from North Europe using it. Apparently Karkaroff is well traveled."

"So I shouldn't go toe to toe with Karkaroff?" Harry said, intending it as a joke.

"I know you are joking Harry, but don't. If Karkaroff is the guy who is trying to hurt you and he confronts you, I'd suggest running. If he is a master, he would kill you, and I'd prefer to not waste all the work I put into you." Akira ran his hand through Harry's hair, and Harry angrily tried to straighten it, but it was a mess now. "So how are you doing with the calm state?

Harry took his wand out and flipped a chair into the hair, before switching it into a bag and sending it back into the wall with force. It had clicked for him sometime this weekend, and he was happy he could surprise Akira, who had an amused look on his face.

"So what's next?"


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

Chapter 27: Burdens

December, 1994

"Neville, could perhaps explain why this is so important to you?" Remus asked as he helped the sturdy looking Gryffindor to his feet. Neville knew he was staring to grow some muscle, enough that he could keep up with Harry most nights with his nightly muscle building exercises. Every now and then his best mate had a very serious and driven look in his eye, and Neville knew he would be tough pressed to keep up. But Remus's eyes still widened just a little bit when Neville grabbed with his forearm and levered himself to his feet, not making the eye contact that had become a staple of their training.

"I don't know," Neville said despondently. "A few reasons come to mind."

"Well, why don't you cycle through them, and we can try and work on it?" Remus's eyes filled with worry. "You can't keep this up. It looks like you haven't slept all week."

"I haven't," Neville told him. "Every time I'm about to, my mind just starts whirring. Reviewing the spells, I wasn't able to do keeps me up, before I even realize, it is morning. It's mentally exhausting at the moment, but it keeps me sane even if it is exhausting."

"You realize that's a contradiction?" Remus replied with a faint smile. Neville just stood there silently. "So what do you think the problem is?"

"Well, it might be Harry."

"Harry?" Remus was startled. He seemed to think that Harry seemed much better adjusted with Neville as a best mate. While Hermione was Harry's rock and he seemed to develop a relationship with Akira that made them closer than the blood that bound them, everyone needed a best friend of the same gender, male or female respectively. Neville was that person for Harry where he could talk about pointless stuff that only guys his age understood, where there was truly no topic too stupid or off limit. For Neville to be questioning that friendship was quite a surprise to the ex-professor.

"Not like that," Neville said, seeing Remus's surprise. "No, Harry and I have gotten really close. He's really remarkable. Now that I practice with him in the morning as well as at night, I see how special he is. He has been learning with Akira for 6 months, and occasionally he'll knock Akira back. Once I even saw him flip Akira over with one kick. He is a genius, and now they use spells while they fight hand-to-hand. It's insane. That's not it, though. I see Harry improve by leap and bounds every day, certainly every week. I feel like I can't keep up. That I'll be left behind by how brilliant he is."

"Neville, I've spoken to Akira. Harry is significantly more talented than your average student, and with a hunger and drive for ability that almost no one has. You should not measure yourself by Harry. You should measure progress against yourself. When my friends and I grew older, I understood that some of my friends would be stronger magicians than I, so I studied. Rather than go toe to toe with them, I found my own strength."

"Well, Harry is smarter than me too, not to mention stronger magically and physically."

"Neville, have you ever considered that your strength may not be related to school or battle?" Remus asked, a glint in his eye. Neville looked at him curiously. "Harry can be moody and irritable, even to a point where Hermione gets frustrated at him. You never snap at him, and you have supported him through ever trial he has faced. You always have his back. That is more important to Harry than you think."

"I guess," Neville said, not entirely convinced. But as he talked, he realized Harry wasn't the problem. "I guess Harry isn't really the problem."

"I didn't think so," Remus said with a smile. "So what is actually bothering you?" Neville wracked his brain for an answer other than the one staring him in the face. It hurt to admit it to himself, so it would only be worse if he was forced to say it out loud.

"Hannah," Neville finally admitted. Remus was even more startled than this. Neville had looked worried when talking about Harry. Now he looked totally crushed. Remus knew from his interactions with Harry's various friends and Harry himself that Neville looked like a different person once he and Hannah labeled their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend.

"I'm sorry?" Remus was baffled but was instantly galvanized into action. While he would never call himself a genius at relationships, this was certainly an issue that required his full attention.

"Here," Neville said, taking out a letter from his bag. He handed it to Remus. Remus saw the formal greeting at the top, and realized the letter was Neville's grandmother. Seeing the look on Neville's face, Remus opened the letter and read silently. His eyes widened a little bit near the end, and Neville knew that only respect for his grandmother was keeping Remus's reaction silent.

"Well, that's…" Remus simply couldn't find the words. There were many half-platitudes or clichés he could tell Neville, but the boy would see through the lies.

"Thanks for listening, Professor Lupin," Neville said, slipping his robe back on over the clothes he had been using while the had practiced. He took the letter back and put in his bag. "Seems like I am a little stuck. I don't have the heart to tell Hannah, but I guess I can't get around it much longer."

"Neville, I won't say something stupid like how love conquers all. But I think that if this is important to you and you tell your friends they may surprise you. You have a lot of friends who care about you, and between all of them they may be figure something out. I wouldn't give up just yet." Neville nodded but Remus could see nothing he said was getting through, and the boy walked out of the classroom, and all Remus could do was watch silently.

Neville absently-mindedly cast "Tempus," and saw it was 6:30 in the afternoon. He got out of class early on Wednesday which is why it was so early despite his exhaustion. For the last few days, he had been doing extra training with Professor Lupin in order to increase his spell repertoire for at least a few hours. Professor Hayashi was deep into tournament preparation with Cedric, as was Professor McGonagall with Harry. When Neville asked Harry for some private practice, Harry had suggested Professor Lupin to which Neville had eagerly agreed.

His practice was certainly helping, even if Akira floored him in the morning, Remus flooring in the afternoon, and Harry left him gasping in the evening. He could tell he was improving, and on Monday morning Professor Hayashi had held him back to tell him he was improving at a remarkable rate. Monday had been a nearly perfect day, and he spent the evening snuggled up to Hannah in the library. It just felt right, and Neville usually loved when his grandmother's owl landed Monday night for her weekly check-in.

This week's check-in had been anything but pleasant. While she was pleased at his new friendships and his improving studies, she had strong words in other areas. Neville was almost tempted to stand up to his grandmother, but years of obedience, as well as the contents and explanation in the letter kept him quiet. Only Remus knew, and Neville was worried to tell someone else. If Harry was not in the midst of extreme preparation before the Christmas break, Neville might have gone to him, but Neville didn't want to put this issue on Harry's plate.

Neville wondered if Remus was right as he showered. As he had left the training session, it seemed like Remus had suggested that he tell his friends. But there were very few people who would really understand the points his grandmother had made in the letter. As much as he hated the idea of pureblood supremacy, he needed advice from another pureblood if Harry and his indomitable conception of right and wrong wasn't available. They might be able to understand his conundrum better. Even if Hermione was his smartest friend, she simply wouldn't be able to comprehend his current issue.

He briefly considered Daphne but discarded that idea. Daphne was definitely well versed in pureblood ideology or law, but she had turned colder since her split with Harry. She might not even realize it, but she was as cold now than she was before their first meeting this year. There were no more Friday meetings with Harry, and when she could be bothered to come to study group, she barely talked or showed emotion. Neville hoped that Harry and her could return to being friends, and that she could reset. But for now it would have to be someone else.

Susan might have the best advice, but she would certainly not be the person to discuss this with. Although Susan was a pureblood, she had a personal stake in the situation. While Susan could be trusted to help, she would inevitably draw other people including Hannah into this mess of a situation. Neville wanted to exhaust every option before this made its way to Hannah. Susan was also very close to Cedric, who had his own issues with being a powerful pureblood that would eventually affect the normally even-keeled Hufflepuff House in a way that might cause an instant backlash.

But there was one other person who could actually help him, that Neville had forgotten that was a pureblood, and who, despite her reputation, could actually keep a secret if it was important. She had been one of the key reasons that he and Hannah had slowly begun to become more comfortable around each other, and was the only person not named Harry that Neville had gone to when considering asking Hannah to actually be his girlfriend.

There was no denying her influence over the group, even if it wasn't overt. She worked quietly and efficiently, keeping things ticking and making sure that fights didn't spill over to the whole group. She would never admit it, but Neville suspected that she was the primary reason that Harry and Daphne's split hadn't fractured the group in two. So later that night, Neville sought out Lavender Brown for a quick chat.

"Nev!" Lavender said, throwing her arms around his neck, and quickly removing her arms under Hannah's glare. "I feel like it's been a while since we talked."

"Yeah, can we talk privately for a sec?"

"Of course." Lavender let Neville guide her away from the study group and into a corner in the library. "Ooh, alone deep in the library. What would your girlfriend think?"

"Not today Lavender," Neville said, his tone betraying his exhaustion. "Just be serious for a second." Neville saw Lavender straighten a little.

"Ok." Lavender nodding, readjusting her mindset. Neville looked tired, but he also looked like he was walking towards the hangman's noose. "What's wrong?"

"I just have an issue with Hannah that I need you help with."

"Not you too," Lavender groaned. "It's hard enough being around Daphne and Harry while they mope around, still clearly crazy about one other but both preferring to suffer in silence rather than try and work out their problems. What problems could you and Hannah possibly be having?"

"No, it's not like we have the problem." Neville took out the letter and handed it to Lavender. "I got this from my grandma on Monday. I don't have the heart to talk to Hannah about it, so I was wondering if you had any advice."

"Your grandma?" Lavender took the letter and started to read. "Dear Neville, I am glad to hear your extra training is going well." She looked up at Neville with an eyebrow raised.

"Third paragraph," Neville explained.

"I am pleased to hear that you have decided to pursue a romantic endeavor with a young girl at your school. However, upon my investigation of her family, I am afraid I must ask you to terminate your relationship. The Abbot family, while they sit upon the Wizengamot have heavily different politics than I, and to have you seen with that girl in public would undermine any type of legislation I attempt to pass. I wish you the best." Lavender folded the letter up and handed it back to Neville.

"Well?"

"Well, I think you've got a problem," Lavender said.

"And?"

"And what?" Lavender was genuinely confused.

"Any advice?" Neville asked.

"Oh." Lavender paused for a moment. "No, not really."

"Seriously?" Neville was a little surprised. If Lavender was really giving up without a thought, was he best served giving up?

"Your grandmother has never visited school, and you are not going home for Christmas?" Lavender asked. Neville nodded. "Well, then your problem really doesn't matter at the moment. Winter exams are a bit of a more pressing issue."

"We won't have winter exams," Neville blurted out, and then instantly covered his mouth. The Yule Ball was a closely held secret, and while Lavender could be trusted to keep the contents of his letter to herself, there wasn't a chance in the world that if she got ahold of news about the ball that she would keep it a secret. If the source of the leak was traced back to Neville, quite a few people would be upset, especially Daphne since she had only told him and Harry in confidence. The last thing Neville needed was Daphne Greengrass angry at him.

"You know something," Lavender said, closing to within a few inches of him. "Spill it, Longbottom."

"Very clever," Daphne said from behind her. "Using hostile speech patterns to intimidate him." Lavender almost jumped. "Sorry, I was just getting a book for care of magical creatures. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." She gave Neville a pointed stare, clearly indicating that she knew Neville was on the verge of telling Lavender something he would not.

"Drat," Lavender mumbled as Daphne walked away. "So, you were saying about winter exams?"

"Look, do you have a solution or not?" Neville asked.

"I'll think about it," Lavender said, "but you've got 6 months until you see your grandmother again. For now, just ignore it. I don't think anything good will happen from getting into an argument about it, either with you grandma or Hannah. Sound good?"

"I guess," Neville said, and they went back to the study group. Neville could tell from the glances of concern that Lavender kept throwing him that the problem was bothering her more than she had let on, and that there wasn't a high chance of her miraculously coming up with an answer anytime soon. Hannah seemed to know something was wrong, but was bogged down with charms and Susan and Hermione were working with her on that essay. Dean and Lavender were doing history of magic, and Neville decided to join them.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

Krum was pouring over books desperately looking for the mention of the creatures the girl Luna had been talking about. There wasn't a thing that even mentioned Nargles or Wrackspurts, and he was starting to get desperate. Of course it was all well and good that he was learning about the languages of the well-known creatures, and he was almost done with his research on that. Karakoff might have betrayed him by bringing him to the tournament, but the Hogwarts library had indeed had extensive literature on the language of Goblins and Giants.

While he was excited his book was almost done, his few discussions with Luna had lit a fire in him. What if he was able to study the languages of these unknown creatures and put forward studies or books on those? If he wanted to truly pursue a career as an academic, these would make him more than a rising star. It would put him in a position to teach anywhere he wanted. That was an incredibly exciting preposition for him.

All of this led him to the library every night, and he kept searching for the names of the creatures that the young girl had told him about. He had caught one brief mention of the Nargle, but it had only been a paragraph about how they were nearly impossible to spot. Krum never admitted defeat, and he knew his tenacity was one of the reasons he was such an excellent seeker. But his frustration was building up.

He normally loved researching, but getting nothing night after night was starting to drive him up the wall. Without the occasional meetings with the other champions he might have gone crazy. None of them had made any real progress on the egg beside a nasty headache from the screaming of the blasted thing. Harry had admitted he was a few weeks away from seeing if he could destroy it. But Krum had found all three of the other champions absolutely fascinating in their own way.

Cedric was an interesting blend of character types. He was studious, funny, serious, skilled, and a jokester in equal parts. He was a strong and clever wizard, with a passion for learning and a drive to make impactful change in government as much as magically. Apparently Hogwarts did career counseling earlier than Durmstrang, and Cedric had expressed an interest in getting a mastery in DADA as well as going into the ministry for a few years with his father in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Eventually, Cedric was hoping one of these jobs would give him the chance to travel for a while before eventually settling down.

Fleur, once she decided to actually open up, had a good story to tell as well. She was still fairly icy towards all the other male champions, in part because when she used her active allure he and Cedric could still be influenced. She had a hard time trusting anyone who could be affected by her allure, even though he and Cedric were close to immune to her passive allure, especially after consistent exposure. But Krum could tell Fleur was fascinated with Harry, who, while 3 years younger than he was totally resistant to her allure no matter how much magical power she pumped into it.

Harry Potter was the biggest enigma. It was through Fleur's knowledge that they learned he was a practicing martial artist. A discussion with his headmaster a little while ago had revealed that Harry would, one day, be a master martial artist regardless of his magical skill. However, the champions had conducted a few mock duels and Harry could hold his own even if he didn't use his unnatural speed and agility. Krum wasn't confident that even in a one-on-one confrontation with Harry's feet nailed to the floor that he would be able to win, though if push came to shove he would back himself.

Krum shook his head to clear his thoughts, turning back to the book in front of him. There had been a passage a few hundred pages earlier that seemed promising about rare creatures, but it looked like it had been a dead end. He had heard of all of the creatures, and none of them had a language that he could study, in part because they were so rare that none of them lived in a large enough group to learn about.

"That book is no good," Luna said, sliding into the seat across from him. "The Wrackspurts are all over your head."

"Wait a minute," Krum set, setting the book down. "You can see them?"

"Of course not, silly," Luna said with a patient smile that drove Krum wild. Luna was fascinating, but she treated him like a child sometimes and it made him want to smash her over the head with a book. "But I can tell they are around you. If you want, we can try and make some Spectrespecs."

"What are Spectrespecs?"

"My father says that if you use them, you can see Wrackspurts. Then we can work on getting rid of them, and maybe you won't be so confused." Luna explained.

"Alright," Krum said, and Luna's face lit up. "It's not like I have too much more to do tonight." So Krum spent the remainder of the night collecting colored paper and learning origami as Luna laughed at his clumsy attempts. To Krum's surprise, Luna's teasing didn't bother him as much as he would have thought. A few of his fellow Durmstrang students came by and gave him curious looks, but all it took was a glare by him to send them scurrying.

"You can ask them to help," Luna finally said after he scared yet another student away. "You are awfully clumsy for a seeker."

"You like quidditch?" Krum asked, surprised. Even though he had met a few people through Cedric and Harry who were not interested in hanging out with him purely for quidditch, Luna was the only one who had never mentioned it.

"Oh, I find it fascinating," Luna said. "It is a very fun to watch. I was disappointed that I could not go to any of the World Cup matches, but my father and I were searching for Crumple-Horned Snorkack in Sweden." Krum ground his teeth in frustration. This was yet another creature that was news to him.

"Could you tell me a little about this Crumple-Horned Snorkack?" Krum asked.

"Of course I could," Luna told him with another patient smile, and Krum sat in fascination as Luna explained all about yet another amazing creature that he had never read about. Meeting her had really been a godsend.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

Chapter 28: Defining a Feeling

December, 1994

"Are you sure this was the right time?" Fleur asked Krum as they sat down.

"Cedric saw me earlier today and he confirmed it," Krum said. "He'll be here, and Harry is often fashionably late. He is the busiest of all of us. It's pretty crazy how much he has learned. I'm a little jealous that you got to see him fight with Akira. I haven't had the chance to see them spar yet."

"Don't be," Fleur told the Bulgarian seeker. "He was moving so fast I could barely keep up. The only reason I recognized the movement was because I had seen Professor Hayashi years earlier. The final piece of my realization was him beating up the four Slytherin students. Honestly so much happened that day it took me a few days to register I could have been really badly hurt. I have thanked him every time I have seen him, and every single time he says there is nothing to thank him for."

"I have to admit; he is not what I expected. Ever since the first time we saw him he has defied my expectations. He is certainly not the pampered prince the paper sometimes makes him out to be."

"That's true, and so much of him is still a mystery. I still can't figure out how he can totally counter my allure," Fleur admitted. "Even the teachers at my school can't counter active allure with the ease he manages. I would expect it from a world class wizard like Dumbledore, or even Professor Hayashi but even on full blast, my active allure is like a minor annoyance to him."

"He is quite remarkable," Krum agreed. "One day, I'd like to know about his upbringing, but Cedric is much closer to him than we are and he barely knows anything."

"Take it from someone who knows all about keeping all your issues in and never sharing," Fleur said. "It's not healthy, and sometimes it comes out in really negatives way."

"So are you offering to share?" Krum said with a sly smile and Fleur laughed a little. "That's what I thought."

"Sorry we are late," Cedric said, throwing open the door. "Our last debrief was a little longer because I lasted longer than normal."

"Cedric, if you don't explain it everyone will think the worst," Harry said, smacking the older boy on the back. "And you did fine. You stayed on your feet for more than 1 minute. That's a new personal record."

"You two were sparing?" Krum asked.

"Yeah, the two us of vs Akira and McGonagall," Harry said. "Cedric has never stayed up for as long as he did today."

"You always stay up longer," Cedric complained.

"Obviously," Harry said. "I use you as a human shield. You'll learn when I'm doing it eventually."

"Stop it," Fleur said, though she had a relaxed smile. Cedric glared at Harry but both Hogwarts boys dropped into chairs. "Did anyone make progress on the egg?"

"Besides continuing to get a really nasty headache, you mean?" Harry asked. "Not much."

"Madame Maxime is baffled," Fleur said. The four champions had given up the false pretense that their support could not directly help them. "Maybe it has to do with the location of the egg. Like maybe as long as we are within the Hogwarts wards the magic inside the egg won't work."

"That wouldn't make too much sense," Harry said. "I mean Cedric and I are allowed outside the wards once a month. That wouldn't be fair to us."

"Is anything about this tournament fair?" Fleur said. "I think all three of us can say if we walked into the dragon pit with no knowledge of what we were going to face, we would all be dead."

"Who are you not including?" Harry asked. All three of the other champions stared at him in disbelief. "You are joking."

"As far as I know, you are the only one in this room who dodged an unchained dragon," Krum said. "Besides, you gave Cedric the idea that would have put him in the lead if not for the insanity you pulled out of thin air."

"Fine." All three older champions had learned very quickly that Harry did not take all that well to compliments, and it was a theme of their meetings that Harry would get surly after they praised him performance. Even then, Fleur had decided that she was determined to boost his confidence and continued the trend whenever possible.

"Honestly, I'm sick of dealing with this egg," Cedric said. "I know it's cool to compete for the glory and the galleons, but I wouldn't complain if I had some free time. My one-on-one lessons with Akira are the best thing about this year. I'd love time to learn some more defense techniques in order to have the option to prepare for a mastery right after school."

"What would you even do with a mastery in defense?" Fleur asked. "You don't even need it to teach defense here."

"I don't know," Cedric said. "But it is the subject that interests me the most. I feel like being able to defend myself is something I will always be interested to learn more about. Before this year I liked transfiguration more than any other subject, but now that we have a proper defense teacher, it's my favorite class by some margin." He turned to Harry. "If I asked, do you think Akira would start training me in martial arts too?"

"Depends," Harry said. "He took one of my year mates on as a provisional student. Granted, he kept up with my nightly workouts for two weeks first."

"Nightly workouts?" Krum asked.

"Pushups, sit-ups, squats, yoga, etc." Harry said.

"What is yoga?" Cedric asked. Harry stood up and lifted one leg up and positioned it at a right angle and then twisted his body so the side of his torso was parallel to the floor. He then twisted back upright, and lowered to the floor, creating a right angle right where his legs hit his torso. He then lowered himself to the floor and arched his back. "Yikes. Looks like it hurts." Harry rolled lowered his back to the floor and then in one smooth moment flipped himself to his feet.

"It did at first," Harry said. "It gets easier, but those are some of the really basic poses. Flexibility is important for martial artists, so if you want to have Akira accept you even as a temporary student, you'll need to learn all the basic poses and practice at night."

"And you have to do that the rest of your life?" Fleur asked. Harry nodded as he sat back down. "I can't even imagine that."

"I mean, if I manage to survive the next few years and maybe have a kid in the far future, I'd want them to learn from a young age," Harry said. Fleur instantly perked up, and saw the others do the same. Harry was in a much better place than the boy who expressed a willingness to die the night the champions had been decided. But he had never so much as touched his future when the others had brought it up. "The younger you start, the easier it is. I'd want my kid to be able to defend yourself."

"Do you ever think about whether or not you want kids?" Cedric asked, his voice neutral.

"Occasionally," Harry admitted. "I mean, I have an abstract vision of the future. I think I'd like to be a dad one day. Probably have more than one kid. I always wonder what my life would be like if I had a family like my friend Ron."

"Weasley?" Cedric asked. Harry nodded. "Harry, Ron has 5 older brothers and a sister."

"Not that large," Harry said with a laugh. "I don't know how Molly and Arthur Weasley survived Fred and George, even though two of the older brothers were head boys. You guys know the other one." The three older champions nodded. All four of them had attended every dragon seminar so far.

"I guess it's hard to think about the future when you know that the tournament has challenges more dangerous than a dragon." Krum admitted.

"To be honest, I'm more afraid for Christmas," Cedric said.

"You both get jumpy when we mention Christmas time plans," Fleur said. "Harry, I assume you'd go to Japan and meet your master."

"Well, Hayashi-San is super busy right now," Harry said. "Even if we had the time off, I doubt he'd have time to properly continue my instruction. But us students will be busy too."

"With what?" Fleur asked. Cedric and Harry glanced at each other, and Cedric shrugged. "Cedric..." Fleur's voice was tinged with malice, and the Hufflepuff boy shuddered.

"It will probably be announced soon enough anyways, won't it?" Harry asked Cedric.

"It's not like these two will blab," Cedric replied.

"Ok, I'm getting annoyed too now," Krum told the two Hogwarts students. "What do you know that we don't?"

"I'd be surprised if any older students went home for Christmas this year," Harry said. "It will be announced soon, but traditionally there is a Yule Ball at the same time as the Tri-wizard tournament. All the students over 3rd year and over were asked to bring formal wear. Though Daphne said that 3rd years will only be allowed if they are invited by an older student."

"Sounds ghastly," Krum said.

"You are such a guy," Fleur said. "It sounds like a lot of fun. Dancing and good company."

"Trust me," Krum said. "I've been to my fair share of these events. All four of us will be covered with officials. Every function I went to as a member of the Bulgarian team was horrible."

"Tough luck," Harry told him. "Hermione looked into it. The champions have to show up. All eyes on us. That's not confirmed yet, but don't be surprised."

"Not interested," Krum said. "You couldn't pay me to show up. I'll take whatever punishment they have."

"As nice as it sounds, I'll probably pass too," Fleur said. "I know it sounds pretty arrogant, but if I really dress up I think most of the boys here would be knocked out the moment I touched them."

"It's true," Harry said. "You always look beautiful." He said it as an offhand comment, and there was no intent or agenda behind the statement. His breathing didn't change, and he didn't even look at Fleur as he said it. But the French girl felt her chest tighten for half a second. Fleur instantly brushed that thought away before it could even manifest. "But there are some guys who can control themselves around your allure if you can keep it limited."

"It will be harder to keep in under control," Fleur admitted. "It's emotional magic, driven by my feelings. If I get dressed up, go to a ball, dance, and do other things that might be considered romantic the magic will come leaking out. So I guess I'll have to bow out too."

"All eyes on Harry and I?" Cedric said. "Doesn't sound like too much fun."

"Just you, I'm afraid," Harry said. "I was only going to go if Daphne asked me to, especially since I am a champion. Absolutely no need for me to go now. It would be a little rude. We have talked about this. You are the Hogwarts champion, Cedric. I'm just fighting for my life"

"We have discussed it, and consistently disagreed, you mean," Cedric countered

"It doesn't matter," Krum said. "If Fleur and I don't go, people will notice. If you don't go, the castle will go insane. Regardless of whether or not you see yourself as a champion, you are, and at the moment you are the most popular of all four of us. You need to go, just for our peace of mind."

"Look, it sounds like we need to bring a date, and I'm really not feeling up to it," Harry said. "I got dumped less than a month ago, and to be honest I can't see myself with anyone else at the moment. If I invite someone or accept an invitation it would only be leading someone on. That's a pretty heartless thing to do."

"What about Hermione?" Krum asked. "She would be fine to go as your friend, right?" Fleur saw Cedric tighten just a bit as Krum said Hermione's name, and she smiled to herself. So that's what way the wind was blowing for the older Hogwarts champion. The plot thickened.

"I won't do that," Harry said, "for two reasons. Firstly, I doubt Hermione would get the wrong idea but you never know. Like you said, romance will be in the air. I don't want to put her in a weird position. It would be a bad idea. Hermione is the one constant I have always had in my life, and I would never want to do anything to mess with that. It's not like she is my sister, so I'd never say never. No need to add a complication with her, even if the idea there could be something between us is a little ridiculous."

"I understand that, but I think she is your only choice," Krum said. Harry glanced at Cedric, and Cedric sighed.

"Harry isn't going to invite Hermione," Cedric said, "because he knows I want to, and if he invites her she will turn me down."

"Oh!" Krum raised his hands. "I didn't know. I didn't see it at first, but now that you say it…"

"You two would make a cute couple," Fleur finished.

"It's just a fancy party," Cedric said.

"Sure, at the most romantic event we have ever had at Hogwarts," Harry said. "It will be even more romantic because you will be the only champion who shows up." Cedric's eyes widened. "Forgot about that part for a moment, did you? Every eye in the room on you. Odd first date, but I think it would be pretty amazing if Hermione can manage her nerves."

"Don't even start with me," Cedric pleaded. "I can't be the only one if I bring Hermione. You know her better than I. She will freak out."

"She probably will," Harry admitted. "Look, I wish I could help, but if it's any consolation Krum is right. If three of us skip the ball, all the focus will be on missing champions, not the one who bothered to show up." Harry sighed. "This stupid tournament has kind of ruined the year."

"Tell me about it," Krum said. "I have had to start sneaking out of the library to work on my book. I appreciate the research Hogwarts have, but the tournament is intruding on my future."

"Have you made any progress on your book?" Fleur said, swiftly changing the topic. An idea had entered her mind, a way for everyone to have their way about the ball, but Fleur wasn't a huge fan. Hopefully a change in topic would mean no one else figured it out.

"Luna has been helpful," Krum admitted. Harry held back a smile at that. He had seen the young Ravenclaw holding Krum's total attention with a lecture on something called Heliopaths a few nights ago. "But there are so many other creatures I didn't know about. I may have to cut some of them out to make sure the book isn't the size of a quaffle."

"Speaking of a quaffle, we haven't had the chance to go flying since the wand weighting," Cedric said. "I have no classes the rest of the day. Harry?"

"I'm free too," Harry said. "But it's freezing outside."

"You play in the snow," Krum said. "You aren't used to the cold?"

"Oh, you get used to it," Harry said. "That doesn't mean you have to like it."

"Harry, if you can play while being chased by dementors and in the pouring rain I think a little cold won't bother you," Cedric said. Fleur sat up a bit. This was new information.

"Dementors were chasing you?" Krum asked, clearly as surprised as she was.

"Yeah, after they chased me when we played Hufflepuff last year. Ruined my 100% perfect record. That's why I decided to have our professor teach me the Patronus charm, in case they chased me again in quidditch."

"I still can't believe that your headmaster allowed them on the school grounds last year," Fleur said. "We had them in France for a time, but my father got together with other lawmakers to kick them out of France. It's even more amazing because my father has done so much to help the plight of other creatures, like werewolves and centaurs. The so called "creatures" have a lot of rights in France that they don't have in other countries. But he doesn't consider dementors in the same class of creature. My father doesn't hate easily, but he hates dementors."

"Well, there is a reason that the Patronus charm is something I learned from our Defense against the Dark Arts teacher," Harry said. "They are pretty dark creatures. But is that something you want to do after school, Fleur? Do you want to work in government like your dad?"

"After all this?" Fleur asked. "I signed up for the tournament willingly, but it has taken up all my focus. It totally distracted me from graduation. Part of me wants to follow my father and start the training to join the French Aurors. God knows I don't want to be a stay at home mom." Harry snorted at that. "Oh, that's funny to you?"

"No, I'm agreeing with you," Harry said. "I can't image you as a homemaker."

"Well, I was interested in being a healer, but it's a hard career for a Veela," Fleur said. The boys nodded in understanding. "In all honesty, I have thought about working for Gringotts. It seems like they have a lot of options, and it would be a good way to continue to learn while making a half decent salary."

"I know a few people at Gringotts," Cedric said. "If you like, I can make an introduction,"

"That would actually be incredible," Fleur said.

"That's everyone but you, Harry," Cedric said. "I'll try and get a mastery, Krum wants to write about magical creatures and their languages, and Fleur will work for Gringotts. What's does the future hold for Harry Potter?"

"Well, that's two different questions," Harry said. "Harry Potter would love to disappear and never be heard from again. But Harry has a few options. I was interested in being an auror like my dad was, but after seeing how Professor Moody acts, I'm not so sure. Honestly, what Charlie Weasley does sounds really fun. I might like to do that for a while after I graduate. Living in the middle of nowhere and working with creatures like dragons would be really fun. Granted, I don't know a lot of careers but I think some space from Britain and anonymity might be mandatory for my sanity."

"You have no interest in being Harry Potter after you graduate?" Krum asked. "If you wanted to, you could probably become Minister of Magic before 40."

"Victor, if I could, I wouldn't be Harry Potter ever again," Harry said. "Harry Potter's job is to kill Basilisks and fight dark lords. I have had more than enough of that for one lifetime."

"Well, there is one other thing you could do," Krum said. Harry looked at him curiously. "Have you considered professional quidditch? You would be in the spotlight, but for a much different reason."

"I doubt I'm good enough," Harry said.

"Only one way to find out. We did promise to go flying with each other," Cedric said. "You can get an opinion from the world's best seeker." Krum smiled at the comment. "Victor, I know you are better than me."

"Boys and their quidditch," Fleur said.

"Oh come on," Cedric said. "Don't be like that. You get the chance to watch three champions race around on brooms. We should charge admission."

"Are we really doing this today?" Harry said.

"Look, we aren't going to make progress on that horrible egg," Krum said. "Why not?"

"Well, we never solved the problem of the ball," Harry said. "Victor, I think you need to bite the bullet and go with someone. I shouldn't be going as a champion anyways, and I think Fleur is right about her allure overpowering her date, and that could get messy"

"It occurs to me there is an easy solution right in front of our eyes," Cedric said, his eyes flickering to Fleur. She gave a tiny shake of her head, and Cedric's gaze turned thoughtful. "No, never mind. Maybe flying will shake something free" Cedric grabbed Harry and ignored his protest as he dragged him out of the castle. Krum and Fleur followed, laughing as Cedric literally forced Harry to the pitch.

"I'd like to go get my broom, if that's ok," Harry said once they arrived at the pitch. It was indeed bitterly cold, but the ground was not yet covered in snow. "If we are going to fly for real, I want to be on my Firebolt."

"I'd have to agree," Krum said. "Back here in 10 minutes, no less. Don't tell anyone. I know Cedric was joking about charging admission but let's try not to draw a crowd." All three seekers nodded and rushed off, and Fleur found a seat on the bleachers. After a few minutes she cast a warming charm on herself to stop her teeth from chattering.

The boys were right to keep their activities to themselves, but Fleur would have been surprised to see anyone but the most serious quidditch fan follow them even if they knew what was going on. While it was possible to play quidditch in any weather, it would have been easier to do this earlier in the year and barring any surprising accidents she had no doubt the champions would do it again in fairer weather, provided they all survived the 2nd task which was on February 24th.

She thought it was funny and very typical that Cedric and Harry seemed more nervous about a ball than a death-defying challenge. Fleur bet if she asked straight up, they would prefer to face another dragon than ask a girl to a formal date. Krum was of course used to the events, and Fleur had been to more than a few formal events herself, but she went as the daughter of Laurent Delacour, a position that got her respect and treatment she might not get when she went for herself.

Cedric had probably come up with the same solution she had. Cedric could go with Hermione and Krum could skip the ball if she went with Harry. Two champions together would take all the media attention, Harry could go and enjoy himself with someone who wouldn't look too much into the future being his date. Fleur would also get to enjoy an event she was honestly looking forward to with a boy who wouldn't lose the ability to speak just because she smiled at them.

That was, in theory, a foolproof solution. In fact, the only problem with it was a secret that Fleur held close to her heart. One that she was terrified to reveal to anyone. She would not reveal it to her closest friend and sister Gabrielle or to her mentor Madame Maxime. In truth, there was no one Fleur was close enough with to justify revealing the secret, but if she didn't and went through with Harry to the ball, she would be doing all her fellow champions a massive disservice. And in truth, she was terrified to risk it.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

December 1992

"Fleur, I know this is hard for you," her mother had told her as Fleur sobbed at her feet.

"No one wants to be my friend or be around me," Fleur said.

"I know it is hard, my flower," her mother told her. "It will always be hard. A Veela's allure will only grow in strength as they grow into their powers."

"So I am doomed to be friendless and alone for the rest of my life?"

"Do I seem friendless and alone?" Her mother asked, stroking Fleur's hair.

"But you have papa!" Fleur complained.

"Fleur, what I tell you must remain a secret," her mother said, leaning in close. "Only two things will make a Veela's allure less powerful for a time, and increase your control. The first is when you find the right man. The second is childbirth. I think we can hope you are at least a few years away from giving birth."

"But how can I find a…" Fleur blushed. "mate if none of them can talk to me? The ones who talk to me would not be men I choose, and they falter if I use my active allure."

"Fleur, sometimes Veela marry men who can partially resist their allure, or sometimes they just enslave a man. But the Veela who are truly happy find a mate who can entirely resist their allure but fall in love with them anyways. I am sure in the future you will meet men who can resist your active allure.

"Most men are able to resist allure because they have someone they are currently with, whether dating, engaged, or married. I would hope you should steer clear of those complications. But if you meet a man who can resist your allure, spend some time with them. We Veela have a built-in recognition system. If the man is someone who would be a good mate, all you have to do is ask yourself a simple question. Are you falling in love? If you are, your allure will start to weaken. It will return in time, but the control, when you are around your true partner will always be better. Even if you deny your feelings, your weakening and more controlled allure will tell the truth, although it can be fun to let yourself feel the full power on occasion." Fleur blushed at her mother's wicked smile.

"You might not realize it at first," Apolline Delacour continued. "In fact, I doubt you will, but when you look back to the first moment you saw them it will become clear, and no matter what you do that moment will always be on your mind. It will get replaced by other memories you share with that man, but until you create new memories, it will be stuck in your head."

"What if they don't feel the same way?" Fleur said.

"There are two options. The first option is to give up and try and find another, though for Veela first love is often the truest. You may be incredibly lucky and find another man you are suited for, but it is likely you will always wonder. This is very risky. The second option is much more fun."

"What is it?"

"I did it with your father," her mother admitted. "Oh, your father was stubborn, and refused to believe I was earnest when I told him I loved him. So I just made him fall in love with me. We were married soon after."

"Was father your first love?"

"Yes, from the moment I saw him." Fleur's mom said. "It will probably be many years in the future but do write me when you first find him. Spend some time with them. See what happens. If they are a good man, don't be afraid to fall in love." Fleur nodded, her tears drying.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

December, 1994

Fleur had forgotten her mother's words when she agreed to the champions alliance, and now was faced with the prospect of going to the dance with a man (as Harry was certainly not a boy in her eyes anymore) who could resist her active allure. Harry checked enough boxes to fit the description of good man. He was sweet, smart, brave, caring, and supportive. It didn't hurt that, if she was being honest with herself, Fleur thought he was fairly attractive for his age and had the chance to become even more so the next few years.

What if she went to the ball with Harry and she fell in love? Even in this fantasy, she understood what her mother said about first love being the most important for a Veela. If they fell in love with each other, Fleur would return to France, and Harry would still live in England. How would they be able to work around that?

Fleur heard the boys hurrying back, shoving and laughing with each other and drove the image of her head on Harry's shoulder from her mind. It the end, Fleur knew she wouldn't belong in Gryffindor. She didn't have the courage to be honest with Harry, and she didn't have the courage to see if she had been so lucky to find the man of her dreams at such a young age. Better to be a coward than have your heart broken.

"Ok, so we release 4 snitches," Cedric said. "Whoever catches 2 first is the winner."

"Sounds good to me," Harry said. "As long as we agree no fouling, even if you are going for the winning snitch."

"Just don't get in my way," Krum said, swinging onto his broom. Cedric brought a case over to Fleur, and then also got onto his broom.

"Fleur, just flick the lid off," Cedric said, and all three boys became laser focused. Fleur flicked the lid up. She barely saw the blurs of gold but all three boys were off like a shot. Fleur was left alone to her thoughts for a while, but then she heard a whoop of triumph and Krum held up his hand in victory. All three boys flew back to the ground.

"It was weird with multiple snitches," Harry said, putting a single snitch into the box. Cedric deposited one as well, and Krum put the two he had caught in the box and snapped it shut.

"Agreed," Krum said. "Next time, we will go with one snitch in one on one competition. Harry, I only got a little taste, but I think with some training you could probably make a career out of quidditch if you wanted to."

"I won't say no right away," Harry admitted, "but I don't know that I'd want my life to be quidditch. My old quidditch captain, Oliver Wood, he lived quidditch and he is professional now. I don't have that much passion for the sport, even though I miss being in the air this year with my team more than I thought I would. I like flying, even if there isn't a snitch to catch."

"Let's get inside," Cedric said, and soon they were all back in the room they had started their conversation a few hours ago.

"I say we leave the egg alone until after Christmas. Maybe we can all bring a spell we are good at next time and help the others learn it if they don't know it already," Fleur suggested.

"Sounds like a good plan," Krum said. Fleur was pleased someone agreed with her plan. It wasn't like she didn't enjoy hanging out and talking about the future with her fellow champions, but they were getting nowhere with the eggs. At least the next meeting would have an illusion of productivity, since their earlier meetings had fallen into the category of getting to know each other.

"We never did hear your plan, Cedric," Harry said as he slung his broom over his back. "You know, for the ball."

"Well…" Cedric tailed off.

"It's not as simple as he thinks," Fleur blurted out. "Cedric, you think I could go with Harry and then Victor wouldn't have to go, right?" Cedric nodded eagerly and Harry and Krum looked at each other. "Well, that has some… complications."

"Sounds good to me," Krum said. "Harry might be the best person in the entire school at resisting your allure. Why wouldn't we do that? It would certainly garner all the media attention, so I understand if you don't want to do it, but I would really appreciate it."

"It's not that simple," Fleur snapped. Krum and Cedric both took a step back at the anger in her voice. To Fleur's surprise, Harry stepped forward and took her hands in his.

"You said it's complicated?" Fleur nodded. "Can you talk with us about it?" Fleur hesitated. "Is it a secret?" Fleur gave a half-nod. "Ok, then it's settled. We'll find another way. Everyone deserves to have secrets."

"Ok," Krum said, but Fleur could see in the eyes of the two older boys that they were disappointed. They all discussed their schedules and agreed to meet in a few days in the evening on Friday. As the champions split up, Fleur held Harry back.

"What's wrong?" Harry said, sitting across from Fleur. "When you said the best possible answer was for us to go the ball together, you looked like you wanted to cry. I might be making light of a situation I don't understand, but I think it might be fun to go. I can't promise I won't be affected by your allure, but I will likely be ok and we both know it won't mean anything. You looked really excited when Cedric and I first mentioned it. Is there something I am missing?"

"Harry, I want to tell you, but…" Fleur started to choke up. She simply couldn't get the words out.

"Fleur, do you want to go to the ball? Forget about everything else for a moment."

"Yes, I do. It sounds fun."

"I agree," Harry said with a smile. "I was looking forward to going before my breakup, and to be honest, once you and Cedric brought up the idea of the two of us going, it was the first time I had looked forward to it since the first task." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, and Fleur could tell he was being very careful with his words. "Fleur, are you worried that if we go I might fall under your allure and it will ruin any chance we have to be friends?"

"Yes," Fleur lied. Harry muttered something Fleur couldn't hear. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that."

"Well, you mentioned my master earlier today. He always tried to convince me that lying is bad and that you should always tell the truth when you can. My other master vehemently disagreed, and while the truth and I are not great friends most of the time, it might be time to share some secrets. Can you trust me for a second?" Harry looked Fleur dead in the eyes. "Hit me with every ounce of allure you can Fleur. 100%."

Fleur nodded. She always held her allure in check, and to use her active allure she usually loosened her control. This time though, she went deeper. There was no control, and Fleur felt herself begin to get a little caught up in the pure power of the allure. She felt it flow over Harry, and then felt a jarring sensation. It had been a long time since she had totally let loose but then she ran into an ironclad wall. She clattered to the floor, her mind stunned by the pushback.

"Fleur!" Harry dropped to the floor and helped her up. "Please tell me I didn't hurt you! I promise I didn't-"

"Harry, I'm fine," Fleur said, interrupting his worried rambling. "More surprised than hurt. How did you do that?"

"It's a technique called occlumency," Harry explained.

"I know what occlumency is," Fleur countered. "It can help with resisting allure, but it can't throw it off like you just did."

"Well, my martial arts training increased my mental discipline." Harry shrugged a bit. "The Hayashi style of mental training doesn't give you occlumency as a protection against someone reading your mind. It gives you total control of your mind. Any type of mind control, whether it be spell, potion, or allure won't work on me or anyone else who learns Hayashi mind self-control. I can resist it and even fight back against it."

"So you aren't naturally resistant to allure?" Fleur asked, both relieved and disappointed. "Anyone could train to be like you?"

"Well, now we get into secret territory, but we are already through the looking glass, so to speak." Fleur looked at him blankly, confused by his wording. "That's from a famous book, but that's not important. What's important is that the skill I learned is not all that easy to learn. In fact, for the majority of people, it's downright impossible. I have only been learning it for 6 months, and I am already have more mental strength than Akira. My master said it was my greatest strength. Without my training, I might not be able to resist your full active allure. But even untrained, I'd have a chance."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you have two secrets of mine," Harry told Fleur. "First, masters of the Hayashi style are nearly impervious to any type of mind control. Second, I'm unusually resistant. Chances are that even if I hadn't trained, I could resist your active allure, even if I couldn't forcefully throw it off like I just did. That was just for effect, to let you know that if you are worried about me losing control, you don't have to worry. I can promise I will be a gentleman, and I will keep eye contact the whole night."

"Really?" Fleur asked. But in her heart of hearts, she knew she was in trouble the moment she met Harry's eyes what felt like years ago. Love was such a serious and powerful word, and if it was any other situation, she would stay away from that word like it was a disease. But this was not a normal situation. It had always been there.

"Really." Harry said. "So what do you say, Fleur? Would you like to go to the ball with me?"

It had been there before Harry had trusted her with his secret. It had been before he had dueled with a dragon or saved her life. It was before she knew all about what an amazing person he was. It had been there the moment he avoided her allure on Halloween. A curiosity she could not stop, a desire to know more about this man who couldn't be bothered by her allure.

Her magic had known in that moment. Her magic was surprising gracious, and it gave her time to come to terms with what was guaranteed. Fleur didn't know what the future held, but for the first time in a long time, since her mother had told her what her future might hold, Fleur felt real hope, and another feeling, one she had never felt before. It had been both gradual as a gentle rainstorm and as sudden as a thunderbolt. There was no one else she could go to the ball with, even if there were other options. The moment she saw those emerald eyes in the great hall after Dumbledore called her name, there was only one thing she could think about, that invaded her every waking thought. The eyes had introduced her to a man who was kind, brave, and noble.

People who didn't understand how her powers worked might think she was confused because he had saved her life, or maybe because he was famous. Others might think she was entranced because he was a champion. But Fleur had met famous and powerful men her age before. Now, nothing else mattered as she looked into those green eyes.

"So?" Harry asked again.

"I would love to, Harry." There was no reason left to fight. In fact, Fleur didn't want to fight. Fleur Delacour knew, in that moment, that against all odds, she was falling in love with Harry.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

**A/N: I really try to avoid it, but this takes some lines, rather sporadically, directly from the book "Goblet of Fire" and movie adaption of "Goblet of Fire." So I'd like to make it really clear that I make no money from this. Literally nothing at all.**

Chapter 29: Dancing Around

December, 1994

"The Yule Ball is a tradition of the tri-wizard tournament since its inception," Professor McGonagall said. Harry nudged Dean next to him, who nudged Harry back, and soon they were in a war of subtle nudges as Harry's grandmother talked. "The great hall will be transformed into a dance floor, and there on Christmas Eve we will hold a celebration. As hosts of the representatives I expect all of you to put your best foot forward and I mean that literally, because the Yule Ball is first and foremost a dance."

"No way!" Dean whispered to Harry as the room broke out into noise. "I can't dance! How does McGonagall expect us to do that?"

"I can't dance either," Harry admitted. Daphne had omitted that rather key detail from her explanation about the ball. She explained the party, the pageantry, and the event. But Harry had no idea there would be dancing involved. Harry realized that Akira had known, as he had made jokes all year during class about dancing, which seemed true across all years of instruction. Harry would get his brother back for this later.

"This is going to be bad," Dean said, and Harry nodded. Then a stark realization hit him. Not only would be dancing, but he would be dancing with a gorgeous woman with literally every eye in the hall on them. For a moment, Harry wondered if it was possible to back out but realized that would be an awful thing to do. Fleur had literally radiated happiness their last meeting. Cedric and Krum had managed to fight through the allure, but they were both a little tongue tied.

"As representatives of the house of Godric Gryffindor, I expect all of you to conduct yourselves accordingly," Professor McGonagall said. "I should also hope you all know how to dance, but if you do not…" Professor McGonagall, as Harry thought of her in public settings as opposed to Minnie in private, scoured the room. "Inside every girl there is a secret swan that is longing to burst fourth, and inside boys…"

"A terrified creature who wants to run away?" Dean whispered to Harry, who chuckled quietly.

"Inside every boy, I do hope there is a lordly lion who might be able to prance, but that is yet to be determined." Professor McGonagall's eyes swept over Harry and Dean, and she locked eyes with Ron. "Mr. Weasley."

"Yes?" Ron said, clearly worried. Harry had heard him make a joke about one of the girls, but he had not heard the specifics due to his whispered conversation with Dean. Professor McGonagall walked over to Ron and held out a hand.

"Will you join me please?"

"No way," the twins said, standing behind Harry.

"What?" Ron said, confusion clear on his face.

"You will help me show the class how to dance," McGonagall said, and the twins started laughing. "Mr. Weasley, perhaps your brothers will stop laughing?" She glared at the twins, who were quiet long enough for McGonagall to lead Ron into the middle of the room. "Place your right hand on my waist." The twins burst into laughter again, although now it was quieter, so that McGonagall couldn't hear them.

Ron placed his hand on the teacher's waist, and one of the twins whistled. The boy's side of the room devolved into helpless laughter, while the girls remained more restrained, although a few could not hide their smirks. McGonagall moved his hand to the small of back, and Harry almost fell of his chair as the twins continued to whistle. McGonagall fixed the twins with a steely look, and the one who whistled held up his hands in mock innocence.

"Mr. Filch?" The caretaker put a disc like object on a device Harry recognized from home as a record player. Most of the wizards did not recognize it, and there were some sounds of surprise as music began emanating from the device. "Now, Mr. Weasley. One two three, one two three, one two three." Ron only managed to step on her feet twice before getting the basic rhythm.

"Oy!" Harry leaned back. "You two are never going to let him forget this are you?"

"Forget this?" The twins said in concert.

"We are already designing the figurine."

"Won't sell as well as your dragon dodging one, but should do quite nicely," the other said. "We'll put it out for Christmas."

"Everyone come together," McGonagall said, and while the girls all rose and moved to the center of the room, most of the boys just looked down. Harry looked around as he rose, and aimed a discreet look at Neville, who jumped up.

"Come on," Harry said, as he grinned at Lavender. "Go with Hermione." He maneuvered Neville so that he was in front of Hermione and took Lavender's hands. "If you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't" Lavender said. "Although if you were thinking of taking me as a date, I would have to decline."

"No, I'm already spoken for," Harry said. Lavender's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I did already know."

"This was the secret Neville couldn't tell me?" Lavender asked, clearly incensed. Harry shrugged. It was possible, but over the past few days Neville had been a little withdraw. With a weekend approaching, Harry had been prepared to ferret the secret out of Neville. "Well, I guess it's a less important secret than the other one, right?"

"What?" Harry stepped on Lavender's foot in surprise. "Sorry."

"Just don't do it again," Lavender said through gritted teeth.

"You just startled me," Harry said as they continued to dance. He knew he was doing it wrong, but he was nimble enough that he never bumped into Lavender and avoided repeatedly stepping on her feet which was better than every other impromptu couple. "I didn't know Neville had a bunch of secrets."

"Aren't you his best friend?" Lavender asked.

"If you are under the impression a girlfriend can't be a best friend, then yes," Harry said.

"Wait. I thought you had said specifically that Hermione was your best friend, not your girlfriend," Lavender said.

"She is," Harry said. "I'm Neville's best friend, if you don't count Hannah. He is my best mate."

"Oh," Lavender said. "It's still weird he didn't tell you."

"Is it worth pressuring him?" Harry asked. "I knew something was bothering him but I have been busy this week. With a weekend coming up, I was figuring I could spend some time with him to have him open up, but if it's a secret I don't want to pressure him too much."

"Leave it alone for the moment," Lavender told him. "You don't have the tools to fix the problem."

"I would normally be offended, but as weird as it is, I trust you," Harry said. Lavender gave him a smile. "Sorry, was that a weird and mean thing to say?"

"No, it was nice," Lavender told him. Most of the other couples had broken up and were leaving, so Harry stopped his attempt at dancing. He would have to ask his grandma for lessons this weekend. "In the spirit of trust, can I ask you a question?"

"I won't stop you from asking a question," Harry said.

"Well, it's more of a favor," Lavender said. "One that might put you in an awkward position."

"You might as well ask," Harry replied. "I might say no."

"You are too nice," Lavender said. "If I said I needed you to hex Hermione, you'd at least hear me out."

"You might have a valid reason," Harry said, and Lavender glared at him. "I probably would say no, but I see your point. But at this point, you might as well ask."

"Well, I think that Ron might ask me to be his date."

"Ok," Harry said, unsure what she was driving at. "That's a bad thing?"

"No, but I don't really want to go with him," Lavender said, "but if I say no and don't have a different date it's going to be a whole thing."

"I thought you liked him," Harry said.

"A lot of people think I do," Lavender said with a toss of hair. "I think I can do better." Harry didn't have anything to say to that. "My favor was that I was hoping you could have someone ask me."

"Do you have a candidate in mind, or is it just anyone?" Harry said.

"If you could test the waters," Lavender said, glancing at Dean who was walking out.

"Huh." Lavender glared at him again. "That's just not what I expected. But yeah, I can do you one better if that's who you want. I'll get him to ask you before the end of the weekend."

"So can I string him along a little?" Lavender asked.

"I wouldn't" Harry said. "Didn't you see some of the eyes? The world is going to get a little crazy. Speaking of which," Harry saw a few girls standing at the entrance, their eyes on him, "I think I'll take another exit." They were on the second floor, and one of the windows was open. "Tell me when Dean asks so I can stop pestering him." Harry jumped through the window, landing on the grass easily.

He heard a clamoring above him and saw a few heads poke out the window. With a smile he was slightly ashamed of, he turned and started walking away from the castle. It was bitterly cold but he had his robe on and it was a gorgeous day. He made it to the lake fairly quickly and found a rock that looked perfectly angled, and he lay down. Harry glanced at his watch, and saw he had time before the meeting with the other champions for their spell exchange. If he closed his eyes, he was almost guaranteed to not wake up in time.

"Harry!" Harry looked up to see Neville walking over to him. "Was that hilarious or what?" Dean was right behind Neville and they sat on nearby rocks.

"Ron dancing with McGonagall?" Both boys nodded. "Priceless."

"So you jumped out a window rather than go on a date?" Dean said.

"Hey!"

"I just call them like I see them." Harry had noticed, after spending more time with Dean this year that he could have a fairly sharp wit at times. It was frustrating because there was often no comeback, like now. "Uh-oh." Harry followed Dean's gaze and saw a few girls from Beauxbatons heading in their general direction. "Looks like you are a hunted man."

"No way," Harry said. "Just coincidence."

"Hey, if you don't want them I'll take one," Dean said.

"No, you two have to be my bodyguards," Harry said in the spur of the moment. Dean and Neville looked at each other, confused. "From people asking for dates."

"Really," Neville said, his voice dry. Dean was still looking at the French girls approaching, and Harry mouthed "Someone likes Dean." Neville nodded in understanding and grabbed Dean. "Well I guess we have no choice."

"Hey!" Dean shouted as Harry and Neville dragged him away from the French girls and back towards the castle. Eventually they made it to the Gryffindor tower with Dean still being dragged. "Harry, what was that about? We could have snagged some French babes. Neville is spoken for."

"Dean, just do me a favor and relax, ok?" Harry snapped. "They are people, not pieces of meat."

"Well said Harry," one of the twins said, dropping down on his right side. "This is a special event."

"Special event for special ladies," the other said.

"Drop it you two," Harry said. "I know you both have dates."

"Indeed we do," the boys said together.

"We are beaters," one said.

"It is our job to protect the chasers, even when they are off the field," the other said.

"Can you two do me a favor and keep an eye on this idiot for the rest of the night?" Harry said, indicating Dean. "Dean, we need to talk tonight but I've got something to do first."

"No problem," the twins said in concert.

"So creepy," Neville said, and that prompted a smile in from the Gryffindor beater pair.

"Don't encourage them," Harry said. He and Neville headed out of the tower. "It is creepy though."

"Where are we going?" Neville asked. Harry stopped and flipped open his bag, and drew out the marauders map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The map activated and Harry glanced around. "Third Floor." He tapped and turned the map off, and then headed down the stairs, Neville behind him. "Come on then."

"Where are we going?" Harry ignored Neville every time he asked the question.

"Here," Harry said. He stopped in the middle of the third floor. No one was to be seen. "There they are." Harry smiled at Susan and Hannah who were walking down the corridor towards them. "Ask her now."

"Do I have to?"

"No, but it would be nice to do anyway." Susan grinned at Hannah and walked past Neville, leaving the two love-struck teens standing in the corridor.

"Hannah, I was just wondering, no hoping…" Neville trailed off and looked back at Harry, who ignored him.

"Yes Neville?" Hannah asked

"Well, hopefully, you would be willing to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"With you."

No." Harry saw Neville steel himself. "To go as my date."

"Absolutely!" Hannah said, throwing her arms around Neville and kissing him. She broke from the kiss. "Susan, I'll see you later." She guided Neville into a nearby classroom, and Susan and Harry started laughing.

"That was awfully nice of you," Susan told Harry.

"Well, the longer he went the more likely he would be to not ask," Harry said. "I figured I could get that out of the way early. Professor Sprout told you all?"

"Judging from the reactions from all around the castle, I think everyone knows," Susan said. "It's like the world has gone crazy. It's just a party."

"Oh, it's much more than a party," Harry said. "It's a dance on Christmas, romance at its finest. To go alone would be embarrassing, but to go with someone you don't like would be even worse."

"Harry!" Harry turned to see his grandmother walking towards him. "Oh, Ms. Bones."

"You are slipping," Susan said with a sly grin. "You shouldn't call him Harry so obviously when you are in public."

"I beg your pardon Ms. Bones?" Minnie said.

"Hey, I don't care all that much if you want to play favorites," Susan said over her shoulder as she walked away. "Try to choose a reasonable date, Harry."

"You know my date!" Harry called after her, but she was already gone. "Man, she can be frustrating."

"She is a teenage girl," Minnie told him. "They all are."

"Susan is unique," Harry said. They walked to her office, talking about harmless subjects until they were both inside. "Grandma Minnie, you look upset."

"I am," Minnie told him. "Harry, I just spoke to Ludo Bagman, and he said that the ball has to feature the champions. To play to the crowd and the media, according to him."

"That doesn't sound good," Harry said.

"All the champions will enter with their dates after everyone else has arrived and sat, and all eyes will be on them. They open the ball with a dance, and only then can people eat and start dancing."

"That's insane," Harry said.

"I know." His grandmother looked exhausted. "It took me 30 minutes to talk him out of his crazier ideas. Dumbledore was close to obliviating him. Barty Crouch can usually keep him in control, but apparently, he is sick. Trust me when I say if Ludo Bagman is in charge of this tournament things will go badly."

"I'll take your word for it," Harry said. "Funny thing about Bagman though. He has tried to approach me a few times to speak about the tournament."

"He has?" Minnie seemed surprised by that. "He made a big deal about all of the judges remaining away from the contestants, even after Maxine and Karkaroff said they would be supports to their champions. I wonder what he is up to."

"Who cares?" Harry said. "I'm staying away from him like he has the plague. Is this focus on the champions thing set in stone?"

"According to Bagman, news has already gone out to multiple newspapers. Quite a few are sending reporters. Dumbledore put his foot down, so they will sit a different table than the champions and hold no personal interviews. But we can't keep them out altogether, and you four will be the focus."

"You have no idea," Harry said. "Well, two of us will."

"What do you mean?" Minnie said. "I know that after Daphne you would probably prefer to not go with a date, but I think you would be noticed if you went alone or skipped it."

"No, that's actually not the plan," Harry said.

"There is a plan?" Minnie asked.

"Yeah, Cedric cooked it up. Krum desperately doesn't want to go, and Fleur wants to go but is worried about her allure influencing her date and if she hexes someone in the middle of the dance floor that might ruin the night," Harry explained. "So we needed something to take the heat off a missing champion and some way for Fleur to have a date who has some self-control and won't turn into a drool machine." Minnie's face paled as she realized what Harry was insinuating. "On the bright side, I don't have to worry about having a date."

"Harry, the press will go crazy," his grandmother protested.

"That's kind of the idea, although the fact that a group of them will be there makes me a little more cautious," Harry told her. "But I think we are already committed."

"Are you sure?" Minnie asked.

"Pretty sure," Harry said. "Besides, the more I thought about the idea, the more sense it made. Fleur won't think about it too much, she gets to enjoy the ball, and I have a date who doesn't mind passing me around a bit."

"Harry, you know Fleur is part Veela right?" Minnie asked, concern creeping into her voice. Harry picked up on the increase in tension his grandmother's body language.

"She's brought it up, but I'm immune to her allure. She isn't bewitching me if that is what you are worried about," Harry told her. "It surprised me, but I actually like her a decent bit. Not like that," Harry clarified at the horrified look on the transfigurations professor's face. "But I appreciated her offer, and I think we will have a good time. It's a nice thing for Krum to be able to ditch the party too. He was very insistent about his desire to skip the ball, so I think all of this will increase inter-champion unity."

"Harry, the way that Veela find their partners is a little unusual, and I'm just worried about you."

"I feel like you are trying to slow walk me to some knowledge, and as much as I appreciate it, I have a meeting with the other champions soon. Is there something I need to know about Fleur?" Minnie hesitated. She had been worried the moment she heard about what happened after Harry had saved Fleur. The body language she saw from Harry in Dumbledore's office when her grandson was distracted, the belief in Fleur's voice when she spoke in Harry's defense, even the subtle distress of Susan Bones were clear clues.

Minerva McGonagall had heard nothing but wonderful things about the French Champion from Madame Maxime. The fact the girl had no friends from her school but had managed to slide into Harry's friend group so easily spoke volumes about her mental toughness and emotional agility. There was no real reason to doubt her, but something about Ms. Delacour put her on edge. Minnie was also very aware that Laurent Delacour would not hesitate to use the influence of Harry Potter to support his policies across Europe if he became involved with his daughter, but any politician would do the same.

"No, nothing pressing," Minnie lied. "Go see how the other champions are faring with the announcement. But keep an open mind."

"Of course," Harry said, stepping out of the office. He had a few minutes before they would meet, and Harry had left his bag in the Gryffindor tower. On his way to retrieve it he heard quiet voices on the fifth floor. The temptation was too much, and Harry silently followed the voices.

"It's too dangerous," Draco was saying.

"Silence!" A voice Harry didn't recognize snapped. "You have no choice in the matter, if the dark lord is…" The voice got quieter, and for a moment, Harry debated drawing his wand and attacking. Then he heard the sound of footsteps from behind him, and allowed himself to blend into the shadows as a few Ravenclaws walked past him talking about something in charms.

Harry's heart was beating like a drum as he retrieved his bag. There was only one person who was referred to as a dark lord, and Harry had suspected in his heart of hearts that his mortal enemy was not dead, not yet. If there was one thing Harry wanted to know, it was why the most powerful and evil wizard of his time was obsessed with Harry. Sure, he had the potential to be a strong wizard, but before this year he would not have been a real threat to Voldemort. He knew that his friends would disapprove, but Harry knew that he would lay down his life to finally end the threat of Voldemort. In that regard, only one person knew the depth of Harry's convictions.

Nambung had sworn Harry to secret the second to last day before his return to Hogwarts, and locked away in the training room has explained the technique Harry knew he would have to use to end the threat of Voldemort once and for all. His master had apparently never even used the technique himself due to the dangers it posed to the user. But if everything was on the line, Nambung had said he would allow Harry to use it, with the understanding that if Harry died the taekwondo natural would hunt his soul down and kill him again.

Maybe the person speaking to Draco was behind the attempts to kill him, and if Draco was involved it would be child's play to follow him with the map and figure out who his co-conspirator was. The one thing Harry would need for that plan was the one thing Harry did not have: time. Collecting his bag with a sigh, he made his way towards the room he was planning to meet the other champions in.


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

Chapter 30: Recap, 1-29

**This is getting surprisingly big. I have gotten close to my initial intended count of words, and we still have a LOT of ground to cover. I would say I am a little less than halfway from a potential end at this point.**

**Obviously this is getting pretty big, and if you aren't reading this is one go (in which case I am beyond impressed) it can be hard to remember stuff. If you can't keep track of the story (sometimes I struggle myself,), here's the abridged closed captioning with very big strokes.**

Chapter 1 (Author's Note): Basic overview of characters and story

Chapter 2 (King's Cross Station): Remembering events of PoA, Harry has to come with plan because he won't be going to Dursleys.

Chapter 3 (A New Friend, an Old Friend, and a New Home): Meets Charlie Weasley, then meets with Remus who decided to take him to Hayashi family.

Chapter 4 (Time for a Train Ride): Harry returns to Hogwarts, admits Hermione is his best friend, spends some time with his housemates on the train and meets Susan and Hannah.

Chapter 5 (Snakes, New and Old): Takes down Draco and his goons, tells Neville he will keep the secret of the Alice and Frank Longbottom, and meets Daphne.

Chapter 6 (Guardians and Exercise): Review of Daphne's information, Neville insistent Harry has a magical guardian, Harry does his nightly exercises.

Chapter 7 (A New Master): Flashback Harry's first few days at the Hayashi house, revelation that his home life is much worse than previously believed.

Chapter 8 (The Hayashi Family) Harry sees Akira as teacher at Hogwarts, learns a little about Susan, first potions class where Harry defeats Snape legilimency attack.

Chapter 9 (Unbreakable Mind): Harry in DADA with Moody, can break imperious curse on himself and others, Susan reveals the knowledge of his defeating the Basilisk is wide known.

Chapter 10 (The Role of a Brother): Akira introduces himself to Harry's friends, knocks Harry down a peg.

Chapter 11 (Breaking Wood): Flashback Harry's initial training, learning mental strength.

Chapter 12 (Time Flies): All of September, Harry learning more and improving grades, friendship with Ron shatters, everyone learns of Harry's relationship with Charlie.

Chapter 13 (The Role of a Teacher): Akira teaching class, advice to Cedric around Hermione [romantic] and Harry [friend].

Chapter 14 (Hello Prongs): Harry starts teaching some students the Patronus charm, Daphne acts like she wants Harry to be more than a friend.

Chapter 15 (Pure of Blood): Daphne and Neville confirm that Harry's grandmother is McGonagall, flashback Explanation of Harry and Akira's relationship end flashback, Tearful revelation with his grandma Minnie.

Chapter 16 (New Facts and Faces): Tells Hermione about his family, discussion with Susan about Sirius students arriving.

Chapter 17 (Now Featuring): Krum mad at being in cup, Fleur desperate to prove herself, Cedric has mixed feelings, Akira and McGonagall mad at Dumbledore for making mistake that puts Harry in cup, Harry breaks down and Cedric comes up with plan to help Harry.

Chapter 18 (Not Alone): All of Harry's friends come to support him and Neville is spokesman, except Daphne who meets him alone and they start a relationship, Hermione gives up on Harry.

Chapter 19 (You Want Me to do What?): Harry's relationship with Daphne is defined as boyfriend & girlfriend and they start to develop stronger feelings, Hermione and Daphne decide to try being friends, Prongs becomes solid, Photoshoot and wand weighting and Krum offers slight friendship, Charlie arrives and Harry learns about dragons.

Chapter 20 (A Busy Night): Harry coming up with plan, goes to find Cedric to give him info and ends up learning of the Ravenclaw treatment of Luna, takes on entire house, finds and gives info to Cedric, Remus arrives to help and let Harry know Sirius is arriving, Susan reveals her plan to slowly snare Harry and that her Aunt will arrive.

Chapter 21 (Beware the Fire): Drawing of Dragons, Cedric uses stag transfiguration and distractions, Fleur puts her dragon to sleep.

Chapter 22 (Harry's Plan): Harry vs Horntail, flashback Attack indicators end flashback, Harry does the impossible against his dragon, dragon breaks free and Harry and Akira beat it down [while hidden from general public view] and Akira reveals his real power, Charlie holds dragon down and reluctantly agrees to stick around.

Chapter 23 (Aftermath): Harry visited by all his friends in hospital, Cedric and Krum pitch plan of champion cooperation.

Chapter 24 (Little Boy): Fleur reflecting on task, flashback Fleur has encountered Akira before end flashback, fleeing from Harry's dragon, discussing task with Susan, attack by Draco, Harry intervenes and kicks some ass, Harry convinces Fleur to join champion alliance.

Chapter 25 (Consequences): Harry starts to fully recover from exertions against dragon, friends gather around Gryffindor table for dinner, Harry called to Dumbledore to answer for attack against Slytherin and Ravenclaw, Susan and Fleur provide evidence Harry was in the right against Draco and Co, Flitwitck and Dumbledore go easy on him for fight in Ravenclaw common room, Charlie reveals his suspicions around someone tampering with dragon.

Chapter 26 (The Next Level): Akira decides to increase Harry's training against his better judgement and Neville becomes a real student, flashback Harry will need the increased skills end flashback, Harry teaches Patronus charm, Daphne achieves corporeal Patronus, Harry spars with Karkaroff's apprentice.

Chapter 27 (Burdens): Neville secret training with Remus, he has dilemma regarding his grandmother wanting his to break up with Hannah, goes to Lavender for advice, Krum discussing magical creatures with Luna.

Chapter 28 (Defining a Feeling): Meeting of all the champions, discussing their future plans and trying to come up with plans for Yule Ball, all three seekers play a little quidditch, flashback The magical love of Veela end flashback, Fleur realizes she is starting to fall for Harry and they decide to go to Yule Ball together so Victor can ditch.

Chapter 29 (Dancing Around): The Yule ball is announced, and Harry discussed the ball with Lavender. After avoiding some potential dates and setting his friends up. Harry realizes something is going on with Draco, but is interrupted and can't hear the whole conversation. He runs into his grandmother and tells Minnie about his date with Fleur and Minnie tells Harry about the press presence expected at the ball.

**Hope that helped. Onwards and upwards**


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: Needed to put the finishing touches on this one before posting after the "not real" chapter. I'm well aware that in Canon everyone knows Remus is a werewolf. If it isn't clear by now, it is fairly unknown in this AU.**

Chapter 31: No More Secrets

December, 1994

_Roof tonight, 11._

Harry stared down at the note he had clutched in his hand. It had been delivered by a regular tawny owl earlier in the morning, and the handwriting was unmistakable. It was barely legible and indicated speed and haste by the writer. The note had come from his godfather, and there were only three words:_ Roof tonight, 11._

All other things had been banished from his mind. He was nervous about the ball. Fleur seemed to get more excited every day, and occasionally Harry saw her eyeing him with a look her didn't recognize, but only when Fleur thought he wasn't looking. When Harry would glance at her, curious as to why she was looking at him, she would instantly look away. She had disappeared last weekend, supposedly to buy clothes for the ball, and to Harry's delighted surprise Hermione and Lavender had accompanied her. He was genuinely happy Fleur seemed to be making friends with his female friends.

He was also struggling to prepare for some tests Remus had drummed up in order to gauge his progress in classes. According to his grandmother, Remus had been one of the best students in his year and would have had a chance to be Head Boy if not for his furry problem and James's newfound maturity and natural leadership. Since Harry skipped classes occasionally in order to train for the tournament, Remus had been tasked with making sure Harry didn't fall behind. Harry had complained that this was unfair because nobody else had these tests. His protests had been noted by Akira, Minnie, and Remus. Those protests were summarily ignored, and his tests were scheduled for two days before Yule.

But now the only thing that mattered at the moment was that, against all advice, Sirius was arriving tonight. Harry was equal parts thrilled and nervous. He was happy he would have the chance to spend some time with his godfather and get to know the man who would have taken him in if things had gone differently, both when he was born and at the end of the last year. He still remembered how excited Sirius had looked when Harry told him he would love to leave his aunt and uncle and live with him.

That was coupled with the reality of the situation Sirius was entering. Dumbledore had gotten rid of the aurors watching Harry at the request of his grandmother. After the first task Harry was barely allowed to be alone, and when he wasn't with a friend Remus, Charlie, or Akira were nearby, keeping an eye on him. The consensus of all the adults was that after his miraculous performance during the first task, the saboteur would risk attacking in plain daylight. With two tasks left, Harry agreed, but he chaffed at the lack of solitary time.

Harry had gotten adept at ditching his tail when aurors had been the ones watching him, but Charlie was fairly persistent. It took Harry close to half an hour to lose Charlie, and Harry looked at his watch. It was 10 minutes from 11, and Harry headed up the stairs to the roof. He had a small bag slung over his bag, and inside he had the marauders map and his cloak. As he reached the door to the roof that was occasionally used by the astronomy class, he saw Remus waiting for him.

"You are sure he said tonight?" Remus asked. He had not gotten a chance to see the note earlier, and Harry showed him now. "That's his handwriting all right. I remember correcting it on quite a few homework assignments."

"He wasn't a good student?" Harry asked

"Well, he didn't much care for studying," Remus admitted. "He was more fond of fighting or causing pranks. James reigned him in during our later years, and when James was named Head Boy in our final year, Sirius started to buckle down and study harder. Thought I have suspicions about why that change occurred."

"What?" Harry said, but Remus shushed Harry. They heard steps below them, and Remus raised his wand. With a quick and quiet "alohomora," the door swung open and Harry and Remus crept onto the roof. Harry shut the door behind them, careful to make sure the sound of the door hitting its frame and the door handle clicking was minimal. They held their breath and Harry put his ear up against the door and held his breath. It was only after he heard nothing that he exhaled.

"That was close," Harry said, and Remus nodded.

"I wonder who else is dumb enough to be out after curfew," Remus asked.

"Maybe it's a professor," Harry commented. "Oh, I'm an idiot!" Harry said, smacking himself on the head. He pulled the blank parchment from his bag and waved his wand over it "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The ink on the parchment began to spread, names appearing all over it with steps behind anyone moving. "Here, keep an eye on this," Harry said, handing the parchment. "Make sure no one comes up here."

Harry heard a noise and saw the air all around him swirling. He looked up and saw a giant birdlike creature heading towards him, big wings beating and propelling it towards the tower he was standing on at the moment. It took Harry a moment to make out the creature, and then he realized he had seen this creature before. It was a hippogriff, and as it got closer he saw a person on its back.

The hippogriff landed and Harry made sure to bow, and Remus followed. After looking them both over, the hippogriff inclined his head. A man slid from the hippogriff's back, an irrepressible smile on his face. He stepped forward and hugged Remus, who happily returned the embrace.

"Harry," Sirius said, hesitantly stepping forward.

"It's good to see you Sirius," Harry said. He thought they didn't know each other well enough for a hug. Harry knew that if he flinched from the unfamiliarity of the hug and the physical contact Sirius would be hurt. But Sirius being named as his godfather meant that a handshake was far too impersonal. Sirius clearly had the same thoughts on his mind and settled for a clap on the back.

"So, what's this nonsense I hear about you playing tag with a dragon?" Sirius said, taking a newspaper out from a bag he had hung over back. The moving picture was one Harry had yet to see. It was him and the dragon, but this picture was of Harry grabbing the egg and exiting the nest as he fired the spells to distract the dragon. The title was what caught his attention.

"Boy Who Lived is Boy Who Tames Dragon?" Harry read aloud. "I haven't seen this one."

"Came out around a few days ago," Sirius said. Harry saw the name Skeeter on the byline. "According to this, Charlie Weasley has been named professor, and is here to personally tutor you on dragons for a future profession in the field." Sirius comment brought Harry's mind back to the meeting with the other champions where they had talked about future careers.

It was true that Charlie's weekly seminar was quickly becoming Harry's favorite class. He was an engaging teacher and usually brought some form of tangible item to show the class. Charlie was full of interesting stories and anecdotes, making his job sound fascinating and dangerous. Harry would be lying if he said that he wasn't interested. It helped that Charlie always made time for Harry if he had more questions after class. Besides, it couldn't be much more dangerous than facing a nesting Hungarian Horntail without his wand.

"So, are you thinking about a career with dragons?" Sirius asked. "They don't like being called tamers, if memory serves me right."

"Dead on," Harry said. "They prefer the term wrangler."

"Well, as much as I'd love to stand up here talking about Harry's misadventures and future career, we should probably get you inside," Remus said.

"Are you crazy?" Sirius yelled. "I can't go into school, and Buckbeak will be spotted in a second."

"Shockingly, Harry and I have thought ahead. I'd understand the idea is foreign to you," Remus told Sirius. Sirius punched Remus's shoulder but there was no power behind it. "We thought the chamber of secrets might be able to hold you."

"The chamber?" Sirius asked. Harry realized that during his imprisonment, Sirius had not heard the news and Harry had never been afforded the chance to hear the tale before his flight.

"Boy, do I have a story for you!" Harry said as they headed back to the door that led to the school. "You won't believe what is down in the chamber. So my second year, there was this bloody message in the wall that said the chamber of secrets is open." Remus held out his hand and Sirius and Harry stopped.

"Harry!" Remus said. "Barty Crouch is heading this way! No idea why he is here, but he was the one to imprision Sirius in the first place"

"We've got to go!" Harry said, hurrying towards the stairs. His only thought was that he needed to hide Sirius.

Remus muttered, as they heard footsteps down the corridor. Harry turned to head back to the roof, but he saw Buckbeak behind Sirius. There was no way they would be able to get the hippogriff up to the roof so quickly. Harry turned and took a few desolate steps towards the stairs. Maybe he could stun Barty Crouch, though Harry doubted it.

"Harry," Sirius said calmly. "How about that room?" Harry turned to his right and saw a giant door in the wall. He recoiled in surprise. Harry had been on the 7th floor countless times, and he had never seen that door. He couldn't even recall seeing the door 5 seconds ago. But there was no real option. Harry swung the door open and the 3 men and the hippogriff rushed in. Harry slammed the door shut behind him.

"If Crouch is on the prowl, he might check in here anyways," Sirius said, readying his wand.

"If only the door didn't exist," Harry joked, and then the door vanished. Harry gave a jolt of surprise. "What the hell was that?"

"Uh, Remus?" Sirius asked. "What the hell is this?"

"No idea," Remus said. He looked down at the map, and his eyes widened. "Harry, do you know what you did?"

"Found a room" Harry said, still a little disturbed. "Am I dreaming?"

"No, you are not," Remus said, and then beckoned Sirius over. Sirius looked at the map and started laughing. "Harry, what exactly were you thinking in the hallway?"

"Well, we needed a place to hide Sirius," Harry said. "What does the map say? Is Crocuh gone?"

"Crouch? No, he is still out there. It doesn't matter. He won't get in," Sirius said. "Go on Remus. Show him!" Remus held out the map and Harry saw the room they were in. It didn't seem to connect the hallway, and at the top of the room were three words: Room of Requirement."

"Room of Requirement?" Harry said. "What is that?"

"It's a legend at Hogwarts," Sirius said. "Supposedly there is a room where if you walk past it three times and ask for a room to do something, it will appear. I'd had always hoped to find it, and then you go and stumble over it without even trying. You have the soul of a marauder, that's for sure."

"We never found the room, so the map does not show it," Remus explained. "In fact, I bet if we were to leave the room, it would disappear from the map. It only shows it because it is in the room, and at this moment the room is in use by the person who is here." Remus looked around the room. It looked similar to the Gryffindor common room, except there were no substances to sit. "Fascinating."

"Well, we can get out of here," Sirius said, looking at the map. "Moody is gone."

"Why leave?" Remus said. "You can stay here with even less fear of discovery. I bet this could be quite a bit more comfortable than the chamber too."

"Yeah!" Harry said. "If Remus and I leave, we just need to think of a room to hide Sirius in, and you will pop back up."

"Well, we don't know that for sure Harry," Remus said. "Perhaps we could test it before abandoning your godfather in a room we know very little about."

"How?" Harry asked. Remus smiled and took a quill from under his robes. He tapped the quill and it turned into a silver tea kettle. He placed it in the room. "Now we exit. Harry, please imagine that door again." Harry stared at the wall, and the exact same door appeared. Harry swung the door open and heard a cry of surprise. He instantly drew his wand and yelled "Stupefy!" Just as the red light appeared at the end of his wand Harry saw the face of the person in the hall and he yanked his wand point up as the red beam left the tip.

"God, you scared me," Hermione said. The stunner had come within inches of hitting her. "Harry, how did you appear out of thin air?"

"I didn't," Harry said, turning back to the wall. He gave a start of surprise. The door was gone! "Oh god, what happened? Where did they go?" Harry was in a full-on panic, until a door appeared in the wall.

"What is that?" Hermione inquired, peering around him. "I've never seen that door before." Harry gave a small jolt of surprise as Hermione's movement had revealed someone behind her. Susan gave a small wave to Harry as Sirius and Remus stepped out from the room.

"Maybe don't allow the door to vanish while we are still in there next time," Sirius joked, and then he froze as he saw the other two people in the hall.

"Um, who is that?" Susan asked, pointing at the man next to Remus.

"Long story," Harry said, and then any chance of Susan forgetting the moment was gone when Buckbeak strolled out the room. Susan glanced from Harry to the mystery man and then to the hippogriff.

"Wasn't there a hippogriff that Malfoy had killed last year?" Susan asked. Harry nodded. "Same hippogriff?" Harry nodded again. "And if Professor Lupin is helping to hide a man I have never seen before, this must be the infamous Sirius Black." She pursed her lips in contemplation. "He really doesn't look like a mass murderer."

"Harry!" Sirius cried, his hand diving into his robe for his wand.

"It's ok Sirius," Remus said, stepping in between Susan and the now angry man, pushing his wand away. "She knows."

"What?" Sirius looked incredibly puzzled.

"Sirius, this is Susan Bones, niece of Amelia Bones," Harry said. "I believe you know Amelia?"

"How well you know her is up for debate," Remus said quietly. Harry, closest to them heard Remus's soft comment and Sirius elbowed Remus in the chest, which Harry found curious. He would have to talk to Remus about that comment later.

"Hermione, what are you doing out so late? You are breaking curfew," Harry said. When Hermione glared at him, Harry had the decency to look a little ashamed.

"And you aren't?" Susan pointed out. Everyone glared at her. "Sorry, just thought I should mention it."

"I have an adult with me," Harry told them, indicating Remus. "I won't get in serious trouble."

"Well, you have been distracted all day, ever since you got an owl I didn't recognize this morning. The only time I have ever seen an owl I didn't recognize was last year when Sirius sent you the firebolt. I figured the only thing that could make you so distracted was if Sirius was coming."

"Good deduction, Ms. Granger," Remus said with a smile. "Very impressive." Hermione blushed at the praise, and Harry rolled his eyes. Remus wasn't a teacher and Hermione wasn't his student, but some things never changed. "Ms. Bones, I believe that leaves you."

"Well, I was in the Gryffindor common room studying with Hannah and Neville, and I saw Hermione leave. I followed her," Susan stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Can't really explain it. I guess I'm just curious as to what would make Hermione Granger risk getting caught out of the dorm after curfew."

"Wait, I need a second," Hermione said. "Harry, who knows what here?"

"Wow," Harry said. "I have an awful lot of secrets." He looked at Hermione ruefully. "Even you don't know all of them. It's getting really confusing, but I'll try to get it all. Hermione, as far the Sirius situation goes, you know everything except that Susan's aunt is the head of the DMLE and that if my guess is right, that is who Sirius reached out to get me confirmed as Lord Potter." Harry looked at Sirius who nodded.

"That's kind of a big secret," Hermione said.

"Yeah, it's been a crazy month," Harry replied. "Never came up."

"That's an understatement," Susan said.

"Ok, Susan you know all about Sirius being innocent, but not why he here now and why is with a hippogriff." Harry shook his head. "Wow, never thought I'd say that sentence."

"Harry, if this is going to take a while, might I suggest we adjourn to the room?" Remus said.

"Good idea. What should I do this time?" Harry asked.

"How about a room where you can tell stories?" Sirius suggested.

"And that can fit a hippogriff."

"Ok." Harry walked back and forth in front of the wall, muttering "I need a room to tell stories." As he turned and began to pace again a door appeared. This door looked different, but it was just big enough for Buckbeak to squeeze through. Harry looked at the floor, but there was no silver tea kettle.

"Tea kettle is gone," Remus remarked. "And we have some things that were not here before." The room had multiple long red banners, and a circle of 5 chairs. "This indeed fascinating. I wonder if we left the room and asked for-"

"Remus, perhaps you could leave the academic curiosity for later?" Sirius remarked, taking a seat.

"Yes, of course." The ex-professor and the girls took a seat.

"Well, I'll just start at the beginning," Harry said, taking the final seat. "Everyone here knows Sirius is innocent, and that's a good jumping off point. Susan and Remus, you know how Hermione and I rescued Sirius, but not entirely. Dumbledore asked me to keep it a secret, but I have realized that secrets tend to do more harm the longer you keep them and the more important they are." Harry smiled to himself at that. Hayashi-Sensei had preached the entire summer on the virtue of truth and honesty, and while it had taken a few months Harry was finally coming around, at least in regards to secrets that occurred at Hogwarts.

"Well, Hermione is a bit of a crazy person," Harry explained. "She decided that last year that two or three electives wasn't enough. She needed to take all of them."

"Some of them are at the same time," Susan noted.

"Exactly," Harry said. "So Professor McGonagall, who we will talk about in a little bit, decided to give her a time turner so she could make all of her classes. We may have gone a little off-script when we decided to use it to save Sirius."

"A time turner!" Remus exclaimed. "That is incredibly dangerous!"

"I always wondered," Sirius said with a smile. "That is incredible."

"Well, Dumbledore gave us a hint, meaning he wasn't going to say it out loud, but he was willing to let us do it anyways," Hermione said quickly. "We weren't breaking any rules, not exactly."

"Hermione, we helped a fugitive from justice escape," Harry said. Hermione glared at him, but the cocky grin he had on his face made it impossible for Hermione to stay mad at him. "I think that breaking school rules was the least of our worries." Quickly Harry added Buckbeak into the explanation, which Susan, who knew most of the story, accepted without question. "After Sirius got free, I assume Sirius made some discreet inquiries with Amelia Bones about my lineage."

"It went down a little differently than I expected," Sirius admitted. "I was curious as to whether or not you could carry the Potter family name and all it entails, because your mother was muggle-born. To my surprise, I got a letter stating that your mother was not muggle-born, and that you would be given the full privileges of a lord immediately. I asked for it to be kept from the public, but it filtered out to various channels and rumors despite your aunt's best attempts."

"I had been working with two other purebloods, Daphne Greengrass and Neville Longbottom to understand my rights and privileges," Harry said, continuing his long explanation. "They managed to figure out who my grandmother is. Hermione, Neville, and Daphne are the only ones who know." Harry paused for a second, thinking. "Oh right, Akira knows too."

"Who is Akira?" Susan asked.

"You've met him outside class already," Harry said. "Professor Hayashi's first name is Akira." Susan was flabbergasted. "I told him because I was his roommate all of this summer. In fact," Harry said as he drew lifted up the arm of his robe to reveal a faint scar on his arm, "we became brothers by blood this summer. He taught me the martials arts I used to play tag with a dragon, but in this instance I needed his magic to convince my grandmother that we were related."

"How did someone mistake your mother for muggle-born?" Susan asked

"She was given up for adoption because the witch who was her mother wasn't married, and her father was indeed muggle. Her mother thought she would give her child a better chance in a stable family, even her heritage was wizard. But magic doesn't lie, so Akira and I confirmed it earlier this year."

"How did you do that?" Remus asked. "You haven't snuck out of school, have you? I doubt that Akira could have gotten you out of school without someone noticing."

"We didn't have to leave school," Harry said. He felt it was only fair to leave the rest of the room in suspense the same way Neville had left him in suspense. "But we have to keep it a secret for now. It would be a massive scandal, and it would also end up revealing I have lived with muggles my entire life, which would shatter the reputation of the boy who lived." Sirius grimaced at that. "Don't worry Sirius, it's not your fault I lived with them. We still don't know why that happened, but Augusta Longbottom is looking into it. I have every confidence in her. I guess this is another secret that only Hermione knows."

"Why is this such a big secret?" Susan complained. "Just tell us already."

"Well, I want to build the proper suspense for the biggest secret of the night," Harry explained. "Of course, my grandmother was here while my mother was. She didn't know it, but she was one of her teachers. Now she teachers me as well and I made sure we got to spend a lot of time together this year."

"There was only one female teacher here while we were at school that is still here, but I believe she was widowed by a wizard without children," Remus said. "I don't even remember the smallest rumor of…" his eyes widened, and Harry realized the implications of what Remus had said had hit him. Sirius started laughing and almost fell out of his chair.

"Can someone please spell it out for me?" Susan asked.

"That's impossible," Remus said, repeating the phrase over and over.

"Doesn't someone pick up on the fact that you are spending a lot of time with her this year?" Sirius asked when his laughter stopped.

"Harry actually had a good idea for once," Hermione answered. "Each student gets one mentor who they have full access to during the tournament. Dumbledore put himself forward for Harry, but he chose his grandmother."

"Isn't his mentor Professor McGonagall?" Susan said. Harry nodded. Sirius broke down in another gale of laughter, while Remus looked off into space as if he had just been woken up.

"I call her Minnie," Harry added, and this time even Hermione laughed a little bit. Susan looked stoic at the news. "Not surprised Susan?"

"Harry, I can honestly say that nothing you do surprised anymore. You are blood brothers with one professor and the secret grandson of another. You are a champion of Hogwarts in a tournament that was impossible to enter, and you are in first by a commanding margin. Your godfather is a convicted felon who is apparently innocent and has a hippogriff for company." Susan shook her head. "Honestly, killing a basilisk and having a corporeal Patronus that is solid seems like another Wednesday for you. It must be exhausting for you, Hermione."

"What?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Being his best friend."

"Well, it can be trying at times," Hermione told her, and Harry gave her a playful shove. "But the benefits are well worth the trouble. He does seem to have a knack for surprises and secrets. I assume we are all caught up."

"On the important stuff, I guess, but I still have a few smaller secrets. I prefer to think of them as surprises though. Nothing that would affect you guys all that much."

"Wait," Sirius said. "Two things. First, I thought Remus said you had a girlfriend."

"We broke up," Harry told his godfather with a grimace. "Old news."

"Did I touch a nerve there?" Sirius said quietly, so only Remus could hear him.

"Big time," his friend replied. Sirius filed that information away for later. While it sounded like Harry had some close female friends, it might be time for an older male to have a "talk" with Harry if he was dating.

"The second thing is that I heard the word basilisk twice today," Sirius said aloud. "What is that all about?"

"Oh yeah, we never told you about the surprise guest you would have in the chamber," Harry said. He smiled at Remus, who smiled back. During their discussion about where Sirius could hide, they both decided to hide the fact that Sirius would have a basilisk for company while he stayed there. "I killed it second year." He raised his right arm now, allowing the sleeve to slide down, revealing a bigger scar. "It got me here before I stabbed it in the mouth."

"I didn't know it got you," Remus said, clearly appalled. "You should be dead."

"Fawkes helped out," Harry admitted. "That's Dumbledore's phoenix," he said by way of explanation to the girls. "He clawed the eyes out, and then cried tears into the wound, so I managed to make it out."

"That's insane," Sirius said. "Why were you facing a basilisk?"

"Well, that's a story for another time…" Harry trailed off at the incredulous looks from everyone in the room.

"Still keeping some secrets Harry?" Susan asked, the sarcasm in her voice evident.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm not telling anyone this secret, not even my brother." Harry had given Dumbledore the diary after his excursion into the chamber, but he had never told anyone about the entire interaction with the spirit of Tom Riddle, nor the fact that he knew the real story behind Voldemort. Somehow, that felt like a secret Harry needed to keep to himself. There was an eerie quality about what had happened below the school and speaking it aloud made Harry acknowledge the gravity of what had occurred.

Although he knew it was foolish to compare himself to one of the most dangerous wizards that ever lived, Harry suspected that in the future he would face the monster who killed his parents again, and he didn't want anyone interfering. While he was an accomplished fighter, the Hayashi school tend to beat violent tendencies and the desire for revenge out of its students. But Harry knew if he had the chance to bring a reckoning down on Voldemort, he would do what was needed to tear Voldemort's heart out of his chest and crush it with his own two hands, whatever the personal cost.

"Well, I guess everyone has some secrets," Remus was saying.

"Like yours that you are a werewolf?" Susan said. "Harry didn't tell me, I figured that one out by myself." Harry noted Susan was a convincing liar. "Not a lot of people know," she said after Remus paled. "Harry didn't tell anyone, and outside of myself, Granger and Weasley, I think the students are unaware. Some would put it together if Harry told them entire story of what happened with your escape, but for some reason," Susan glanced at Harry, "I don't think he will be sharing it all that often."

"You know, I hear that getting secrets of your chest is cathartic," Sirius said. "How do you feel pup?"

"Pup?" Harry asked, a little annoyed. "You are calling me pup?" Sirius smiled and then morphed into his dog form, and walked over to Harry, nuzzling him in the chest. He then stepped back and transformed back into his human form.

"I'm a dog," Sirius said. "That makes my godson a pup."

"You must excuse Padfoot," Remus said. Harry looked at Remus with surprise. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Padfoot?" Harry pointed at the parchment in Remus's hand. "The creator of the map?"

"Oh yes, that was indeed us," Sirius said. "A wonderful and very complicated piece of magic. It was my idea, but your father and Moony here did the heavy lifting. Your father was Prongs, and Pettigrew," Sirius said, spitting he final name with real venom "was Wormtail. Our legacy at Hogwarts, you might say. One final prank by the marauders."

"You were the ones?" Hermione said, shock all over his face. "You created the map?" Sirius gave a half bow as he sat back down.

"The map is?" Susan asked. Remus looked at Harry, who shrugged.

"Not really my decision when the creators have it," Harry said. "You guys can hold on to it until we figure out how the room works. If you want to show Susan…"

"It's ok, I don't need to know everything. To be honest, while this doesn't surprise me, it's a lot to process in one night" Susan stood, rubbing her temples. "You said this room can be anywhere?" Remus nodded. "Ok. How about a door to the Hufflepuff common room?" A door appeared in the wall and Susan smiled. "See you all later."

"Amelia's niece, huh?" Sirius said. "She doesn't look like it."

"Because she is her niece, not her daughter you moron," Remus said, smacking Sirius over the head. "Speaking of which, after I escort Ms. Granger back to the dorms, we three will be having a discussion about Madam Bones."

"We will?" Harry asked. Remus gave him a glare reminiscent of when Harry did poorly on an assignment, which, to be fair, was not often in DADA.

"What?" Hermione said, standing angrily.

"Hermione, while I admire your loyalty, this really doesn't concern you," Remus said, his voice and expression stern. "This is not a secret, per se. But it is a discussion that needs to happen, and in your presence, it might be hard. Sirius, I assume you take care of it?"

"Foisting the toughest tasks on to me, as usual," Sirius said with a smile. "Get Hermione back to her dorm ok." Remus held up the map. "Ok, get going." Remus looked at the door Susan had created, and it shimmered changing shape. "Remember, a room you can tell stories in." Remus nodded and then stepped out of the door with Hermione.

"So what do we need to discuss that Remus couldn't be here for?" Sirius looked at Harry with amused look on his face. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that the only person who called Moony Remus was your mom. We all called him Moony, and with your eyes… it brings back fond memories."

"Can you tell me stories about them?" Harry asked, eyes alight. "Remus told me a few, but we never seemed to have time."

"It seems like you have even less time, but if you can find time, then I'm sure I can share some stories with you," Sirius said. Harry nodded. "But first, I am burdened by the one to have a talk with you. Normally your dad would do this when you had your first girlfriend, but I guess I'll do it. Harry, when you get older, your body starts going through some changes."

Harry Potter had dealt with fame all his life, and it made him very uncomfortable. He had faced dementors, basilisks, and multiple incarnations of a wizard whose name many people were still afraid to say aloud. Being in those situations where he was expected to do the impossible made him uncomfortable as well. But all of these situations paled in comparison to the discomfort he felt as Sirius fumbled his way through the current speech.

Sirius managed to make his way through puberty, and his face was contorted as Harry's was now bright red. Then he began to describe what he might do in the future with his girlfriend and explained various things that might occur if he wasn't safe and use contraceptive potions or spells. Finally he concluded with kids and why it might be best to hold off on children.

"Well, I don't think that was the worst thing in the world," Sirius said, and Harry gave a tired nod. "Oh wait, I forgot about sexuality and masturbation." Harry's face fell as Sirius dived back into the subject. Finally Harry couldn't take it anymore and he held up his hand to stop Sirius.

"Sirius, it's ok. I know some of this stuff. I promise, nothing is going to happen in the near future. Like I said, I'm single now."

"What?" Sirius looked totally baffled. "No, you aren't."

"Sirius," Harry said tiredly, "don't project my dad or yourself onto me. I just broke up. I don't think I have the emotional capability to be in a relationship at the moment."

"Harry, I have many flaws and have made a litany of mistakes in my life," Sirius told him. "However, I have always been good at reading people. My one mistake cost you your parents, and me my best friend and his wife." Harry nodded in understanding. "When you said you had broken up, there was a flash of hope in your eyes."

"What?" Harry tensed up instantly.

"Don't worry, no one else would have noticed it. You clearly had feelings for the first girl."

"Yeah, I really liked her. It was a girl in our year named Daphne Greengrass."

"Greengrass, the name sounds familiar," Sirius said. "I think her father was in school the same time we were, though I think he was older. Wait a minute." Sirius's eyes narrowed and he fixed Harry with a steely gaze. "He was a Slytherin."

"So is Daphne," Harry said. "Sirius, I'll tell you what I told Ron. While my best friend and best mate are in Gryffindor, I like having friends in other houses. There is a girl in Ravenclaw, quite a few from Hufflepuff, and even though Daphne and I find it hard to talk to each other at the moment, I'm sure we can return to being friends soon enough. I think I'll make a real effort sooner rather than later. I miss having her as my friend."

"Old prejudices die hard," Sirius said after a moment of silence. "Maybe you'll understand after I tell you some stories about our school days. I wouldn't say Slytherin and I got along, especially given my family history."

"Just promise you will try, for me." Sirius nodded. "Thank you. Eventually I will have to introduce you to some more people. Believe it or not, I have the rough outline of how to get you declared innocent.

"Do you?" Sirius eyes sparkled. "Is it devious enough to be worthy of the marauders?"

"If we pull it off, you might have induct me as Prongs Jr.," Harry told his godfather with a smile. Just then a door appeared in the wall and swung open to reveal Remus. "We will need Remus's help."

"One moment Harry," Remus said, sitting across from his old friend. Remus had been nervous to have this conversation since he spoke to Susan the night before the first task. But he knew it was necessary. Sirius was always foolhardy and rash, and while this helped him be an excellent duelist and a loyal friend, it sometimes compromised his judgement and decision making. Remus needed to confirm what Susan had implied back in November. "Sirius, you need to be straight with us."

"Ask away," Sirius replied, leaning back in his chair. "I don't think I have too many secrets."

"Did you date Amelia Bones during our 7th year? Is she why you changed?" Remus asked, although his voice made it sound more like a fact than a question. Sirius's face morphed to show fury.

"Something else, Remus."

"Sirius." Remus's voice crackled with emotion. "This is critically important."

"Fine," Sirius snapped. "Yes, we dated. We broke up when I decided to become an auror. She thought aurors needed to be cruel and hard-hearted, and she didn't want me to become that. Years later I learn not only did she become an auror, she is the head of the DMLE. I sent her a letter because I knew she would investigate Harry's situation, but I don't ever want to see her again."

"Are you sure?" Remus asked.

"Did that sound unsure?" Sirius replied. Sirius had risen from his chair and was clearly frustrated. Harry knew Sirius was a strong wizard. But he could literally feel the magic crackling of his godfather, and he leaned back in his chair, surreptitiously palming his wand.

"No, but I want to make sure that you don't do something stupid, because she is supposedly going to be here in a few days," Remus said, staring down Sirius. Sirius's face flicked through too many emotions in a matter of seconds for Remus to figure out what he was thinking. When his features settled, Sirius had affected a look of indifference, which Remus knew was a lie.

"What, and you think I'll want to see her?"

"Whether or not you want to is irrelevant. Whether you actually act on your desire is what I care about. Harry obviously went to a lot of trouble to break you out. Don't make him do it again." Without even looking at the wall, a huge door appeared on the wall. "Harry, I'll take you back to the tower." Harry went out the door and Remus gave one more glare at Sirius before following Harry out the door.

"Do you think Sirius will actually want to see her?" Harry asked.

"I wasn't sure before," Remus admitted, "but now I know for sure."

"And?"

"You may want to try and acquire another time turner."


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: I hope you didn't expect any of that, because I certainly did not. One of my favorite things is when I outline a chapter and then while I am writing it, the chapter takes on a life of its own and ends up somewhere drastically different than where I intended it, and that last one certainly did**

**I should also note as I look over some of my chapters, I feel like at times I'm really stretching or restricting myself to fit the word count into similar amounts per chapter. I doubt I going to jump to very low or very high extremes, but the chapter length will start to fluctuate a little more.**

**Hope you are enjoying!**

Chapter 32: Coupling up

December, 1994

"Do you think I'll have to buy new robes?" Harry asked as he displayed his long black coat, white shirt, and black coat that the woman at Diagon Alley had insisted was all the rage that summer.

"I wouldn't," Lavender said, looking over his clothes. "We can work with this, and get it to with something with a little more color. All black and white is so dull, and I think you should go for wow. Though to be honest, if you don't tell me who you are going with, I won't be able to help you that much."

"Oh really?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Can't blame a girl for trying." Lavender had been trying to get the name of Harry's date from him for a few days now. Harry was not going to give in, but he did want Lavender's advice. It was the 24th and with one day until the ball Harry wanted to know if he needed to scramble to get different clothes. From the sound of it, he wouldn't need to grab his grandmother and floo back to Diagon alley. Luckily it was early in the day, so Harry would have a lot of time. "Do you at least know what color she is wearing?"

"Not a clue," Harry admitted. "Should I go ask?"

"God no!" Lavender practically screamed. "I'm sure that the girl has planned it out for days, and if you ask about that she might second guess herself. You will freak her out." Lavender looked him over, making Harry feel a little bit like a piece of meat. With startling clarity, Harry realized that some girls must feel like this all the time, and silently promised himself that he would keep his mouth closed before the ball. It was a nasty feeling. "Maybe you should go with dark blue."

"Harry, I need some advice," Neville said, bursting into their room. "Lavender?"

"Hey Neville, "Lavender said, not taking her eyes away from Harry's clothes which were laid out on his bed.

"Harry, what is Lavender doing in our dorm?" Neville asked.

"Well, I wanted to show her my outfit for advice, and the common room is too loud," Harry explained. "What advice do you need?"

"Well, I know McGonagall said the Yule Ball is a dance, but no matter how much I practice I can't get the hang of it," Neville told him. "I'm worried Hannah will be mad if I say I don't want to dance too much."

"That's a tough one," Harry said. "You don't want to look at her feet the whole night, but you don't want to step on her feet when you are looking in her eyes. If you want my advice, practice a little more, but if it is going well tomorrow, I'd just hold her close and sway. I've been told that seems romantic."

"Thanks Harry." Neville seemed very relieved. "I'll go practice some more then."

"I didn't know you had such a romantic streak," Lavender told Harry.

"Oh, I don't," Harry informed her. "That was just my best guess. To be honest, Neville doesn't really need advice. He and Hannah are almost sickeningly infatuated with each other. They are the perfect couple, but Neville just really needs confidence. If he goes to the ball with a plan, life will be much easier for him."

"That's a pretty complex analysis of Neville."

"He's my best mate," Harry said by way of explanation. "I wouldn't be much of a best mate if I couldn't calm his nerves a little bit."

"Good point," Lavender said. She held the black suit up and Harry grabbed it and held it next to him. "The all black won't do, even if I like the long coat. We need to change it."

"I feel like other boys will be wearing something similar," Harry protested.

"Exactly," Lavender said, her eyes alight. "But you are not some random guy. You are a tri-wizard champion, the conqueror of dragons. We don't want you in the same clothes. We want you to sparkle and stand out."

"No sparkles!" Harry informed Lavender emphatically. "There is no way I am going there with anything sparkly on my body."

"It was metaphorical," Lavender told him. "Go get me a plain shirt." Harry rolled his eyes but went and got Lavender a plain white t-shirt he used when he worked out. "I'm going to experiment with this," Lavender explained and she drew her wand. "Colovaria." Harry's once white shirt was now dark blue.

"Lavender!" Harry was shocked. He had really liked that t-shirt.

"Don't complain, I'll change it back at the end. Just hold that up against your chest. We are checking color." Harry obliged, but Lavender shook her head. "Give it back."

"I liked that shirt," Harry commented as he gave her the shirt back.

"Think of it as a sacrifice for your date," Lavender told Harry. "What color next?"

"How about light blue?" Harry suggested, and Lavender performed the charm again. As she held up the shirt to look at it, Hermione burst into the room.

"Harry, I need, Oh!" Hermione jumped back half a step as she realized Harry was not alone.

"I know I invited Lavender up, but this is a boys dorm room. Don't worry about it at this moment." Harry said. Hermione blushed a little. "What's up?"

"You know I agreed to go with Cedric, right?" Harry nodded. The Hufflepuff champion had told him two weeks ago with a giant grin on his face. Harry found himself surprisingly happy. He genuinely liked Cedric, and while other boys might try and take advantage of his new-to-romance best friend, Cedric was sure to be a gentleman. What's more, if Cedric suddenly changed character and acted like an ass, Harry would have many chances to pay him back. "He told me we will have to do one dance with just the champions and their dates on the floor."

"Sounds about right," Harry said.

"What if I tense up, and forget how to dance? What if I freak out and ruin the night? Harry, I can't imagine dancing with every eye in the room on me."

"Hermione, I'll be with you waiting to go in. We will do some calming exercises before we go in. You'll be fine, I'm sure Cedric will make sure you are ok." Hermione nodded and gave Harry a quick hug before leaving. "Who's next?" On que Daphne walked in. "I swear I didn't do that."

"Hey Harry," Daphne said, tugging at her collar. "Can we talk for a moment?"

"Of course," Harry told her. Daphne looked pointedly at Lavender. "Oh. Hey Lavender, do you mind giving us some space?"

"No problem," Lavender said, heading into the bathroom.

"How do you know she won't eavesdrop?" Daphne asked.

"Oh, there is no way to stop her from eavesdropping, but now she will keep whatever you say to herself."

"Huh." Daphne favored him with the hint of a real smile. "So I was planning to go home for Christmas, but a few days ago someone asked me to the ball and I said yes without asking you. I just wanted to make sure that's ok."

"Daphne, I know we said we would be friends when we broke up but we haven't done a good job of that. Let's try that now. First, you definitely don't need my permission to say yes. Second, I hope you go, and that you have a great time."

"Thanks Harry!" Daphne said, clearly excited.

"If you don't mind me asking, who is your date?"

"Blaise Zabini." Harry tried to keep his face expressionless, but clearly some of his distaste showed through. "You don't like him?" Daphne asked. "Even if we aren't dating, you know your opinion matters to me."

"I'm just surprised. My few interactions with him have not been great."

"He isn't like the other guys in my house," Daphne explained.

"Then I hope you have a great time." Daphne nodded and left, though Harry could tell she was a little hurt.

"Well done," Lavender told him.

"I know you and Dean will have a fun time, but I'm hoping-"

"Say no more," Lavender said, tossing him the shirt. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"Much appreciated," Harry said. "It's still weird for us." He held the shirt up and both he and Lavender frowned.

"So not light blue."

"Ok, so what else?"

"Well," Lavender said, grabbing Harry's face, "maybe we could try and match it with your eyes. I've always thought your eyes were your best feature."

"Hey, what would Dean think?" Harry said with a small laugh. Lavender grabbed the shirt and waved her wand.

"Colovaria." She looked at the shirt and smiled. "There." She handed it to Harry, who looked at it quizzically. "Honestly Harry, while I have appreciated getting to know you, there is no world in which we could work out. You are far too much trouble. I'd get exhausted just dealing with your clothes."

"Thanks," Harry said, a wry smile on his face.

"Look, all I'm saying is I get how Daphne was feeling," Lavender said. Harry's smile turned sour. "I know it's a rough subject, but you did ask for a female perspective." Harry had briefly discussed Daphne's reasoning for the breakup with Lavender at the advice of his grandmother, who had pointed out that he might not be able to move on until he really understood why Daphne's had broken it off. The discussion had not gone well, and he had cut it off almost immediately.

"I never ask for the trouble," Harry pointed out. "It's just my luck to be in the middle of the action."

"No, but you certainly could have dealt with the dragon in a way that wouldn't make her worried that she'd have to be the one crying over your body." The two glared at each other, the argument still a bit of a sore spot for the two. Eventually, Lavender pointed at the shirt. "You know what, I like that. Go try it on." Harry nodded, accepting the blatant subject change and a minute later stepped out of the bathroom with the green shirt. "Not bad, but maybe we should do darker. It will really make your eyes pop."

"Sure," Harry said as Lavender changed the color again. "Lavender, I know this is probably a bit sexist, but are you doing this as a favor or do you want to work in fashion after we graduate?"

"That's not sexist," Lavender said, as she twirled her finger. Harry obliged, and he saw a satisfied look on her face. "I don't know. We have counseling next year, so I figure I'll start to think about it more seriously then, after seeing my OWL scores. As a whole, I do enjoy color changing and getting people to look their best, so maybe. What about you?"

"Well, I was thinking auror but Remus pointed out that I would be the worst auror in history."

"I'm sorry, who is Remus?"

"Right," Harry said, smacking himself on the head. "I don't think you ever met Remus since he left last year. My parents were very good friends with Professor Lupin, and his first name is Remus. I've stayed in touch with him, and he is actually at school for the moment, helping me with the tournament. He made the point that aurors have to take commands, and as you so aptly pointed out I tend to do things my own way."

"That's an understatement," Lavender told him. "So, can I change the color of your robes? I like that they are similar to our robes, and I think if we make shirt the shirt isn't too bright, it should look very dashing."

"Go ahead," Harry said. Lavender nodded and grabbed the clothes and began casting. "Have you managed to keep track of all the couples?"

"Just about," Lavender said, still casting. "Curious?"

"About more than one thing," Harry admitted. "But give me the list first."

"Sure. Me and Dean, you and who knows." Lavender glared at Harry who shrugged. "Can you give me a hint?"

"Fine," Harry said. "I promise you will be shocked." Lavender gave him a half growl. "Well, now Daphne and Blaise."

"Yeah. Draco and Pansy." Harry made a face. "Go figure, right? Hermione and Cedric. They would be a really good couple. Happy you gave them your seal of approval." Harry nodded. "I hear Ron is going with Padma Patil."

"From Ravenclaw?" Lavender nodded. "Huh. Would have figured he would go with Parvati."

"No, Parvati is with Seamus," Lavender told him. "Then there is Neville and Hannah. The twins are going with the chasers, and Katie is going with Cormac McLaggen."

"That asshat?" Harry asked. "He is also going on and on about he would be a better keeper than Wood."

"Well, he is good looking," Lavender explained. "From what I hear, it's not like they are dating. Listen, tons of girls are going with guys just because it's a little weird to show up on your own. It's not like Susan is going to start going out with Ernie McMillan, but that's her date."

"Right," Harry said. "That was the last person I wanted to ask about too."

"That does seem to cover our little group," Lavender agreed. "Any more queries?"

"Why does everyone come to me for advice and what seems like questions about permission? Ron asked me about his date yesterday, and Cedric caught me after breakfast. My first relationship is kind of famous for burning out in less than a month. Malfoy has tried to make fun of me more than once."

"And you let him get away with it?" Lavender said, surprised.

"The first time," Harry said. "It would have made unnecessary trouble for Daphne. The second time he went after Daphne, so I took steps. He won't bother her anymore," Harry said, his face dark and serious. Lavender shivered a bit. She knew Harry was a dangerous wizard when annoyed, and never wanted to be on his bad side. But she had never seen the look in his eyes in any of the previous years. She wouldn't pretended to be extremely close to the Gryffindor seeker, but the few times she saw that look in his eyes, Lavender turned and walked away. No point in getting caught in a crossfire. But it reminded her there was a reason that Harry was in first in a tournament famous for killing its champions.

"Regardless, why do people ask my advice?" Harry continued.

"Well, you may not realize it, but you are kind of the leader of our little band," Lavender said. "Cedric is two years older than you, and he respects immensely. Everyone sees you walking around with Krum like old buddies, and you are clearly close with the best defense teacher we have ever had. McGonagall and you are much closer too, and you are winning in the tournament."

"But my relationship was a catastrophe."

"That's an isolated incident," Lavender told him. "Not to mention Daphne is gorgeous. I'd kill for her hair." Lavender tossed him the now dark green robe. "Harry, you are remarkably naïve sometimes. You know that almost any girl would give anything to be your date, right? Right now, you are probably the most respected and admired wizard in the castle. Your advice and good opinion matters to an awful lot of people, especially to your friends."

"Lavender, you never cease to amaze me," Harry said with a smile. "I assume you have some ball preparations to make yourself, so I'll let you go." Lavender gave a half curtesy and left. Harry heard her say hi to Ron on her way down the stairs Harry flopped down on his bed and gave a half wave to Ron as the red-head went over to his own bed. He closed his eyes for a half second but soon enough exhaustion overtook him and he was lightly snoring.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

Hundreds of miles away, a green fire flared, and Fleur stepped out of the fire. She stood there, looking around at Chateau Delacour for half a second before she felt a sharp impact around her midsection as Gabrielle smashed into her.

"Hello," Fleur said, giving her sister a hug in response.

"A dragon!" Gabrielle said, hugging the older girl. "And you beat it!"

"I just put it to sleep for a brief time," Fleur said with a laugh. "I came in last."

"Is Harry Potter truly one of the champions? He looked so handsome in the newspapers," Gabrielle crowed. Fleur gave a small smile. Ever since Fleur had written to Gabrielle about the younger champion, Gabrielle had been devouring stories about the boy wizard. Fleur had known about the story about the disappearance of You-Know-Who, but she did not know that whole hosts of literature about the boy who lived had been created.

Gabrielle was convinced that one book that suggested Harry lived in a castle and was trained in magic by Dumbledore and a host of dragons was the truth. His performance in the first task had only heightened her interest. If Fleur had not known the truth, she might have believed it too. It was clear that nothing was farther from the truth, and in their interactions, Fleur had not learned much of Harry's life from beyond Hogwarts. Fleur knew if she wanted to get closer to him she would have to learn about his life outside of Hogwarts, and she was resolved to seek out his best friend, a girl named Hermione after the ball if things went well, and she continued to be drawn to Harry.

"Ah, hello," Fleur heard as the main door opened. Apolline Delacour strode over to her daughter and hugged her. "Here to pick up your dress?" Fleur nodded, and her mother smiled. "As it so happens, we have something else for you to. Your father and I would appreciate an explanation before we give it to you as well."

"I'm sorry?" Fleur said, following her mom into the house. "What do you mean?"

"I believe your mother would like confirmation of a letter we received from a beautiful snowy owl a few days ago," she heard from Laurent Delacour, who walked down the stairs to give his daughter a hug. "From a certain Harry Potter, who asked us to give you this." Laurent withdrew an item from his jacket pocket, and Fleur and Gabrielle gasped. It was a gorgeous necklace, pure white pearls and with a few glittering diamonds. "Apparently, he did not want to presume too much, and in his letter he expressed concern that it might not match your outfit."

"It is gorgeous," Gabrielle said. Then she turned to her sister and smacked her. "You did not tell me he was your date!"

"It was rather sudden," Fleur said, gently taking the necklace from her father. "This must have cost a fortune. He should not have done that."

"I said much the same thing," Laurent said. "His owl is quick, and he sent back, saying he knew that you wanted it to a special night, and if the necklace helped I shouldn't worry about it. You are really going to the ball with him?"

"Yes," Fleur said. "I hope my dress matches the necklace."

"I had to get a new one, but it looks lovely," her mother said. Fleur blushed and looked down, and Fleur felt her mother's eyes on her. "Love, why don't you and Gabrielle go get the dress."

"Hm?" Apolline Delacour fixed her husband with a serious gaze that spoke volumes "Oh. Of course. Gabi, come along." Gabrielle raced up the stairs with her father trailing behind the excited young girl.

"Now Fleur, we must talk," her mother said. "When we discussed this earlier, I believe I cautioned you against going. Your allure may make you irresistible."

"Harry is not like that," Fleur explained. "He has been trained in the Hayashi school, and can resist my allure even at full blast,"

"Hayashi?" Her mother had a thoughtful look. "I have not heard from him in a few years. I did not know Harry spent time Japan."

"Apparently, his master spends every summer in England, and his son is teaching at Hogwarts for a year." Fleur said by ways of explanation. "According to Akira, Harry is quite talented, and his mental strength is unparalleled."

"And you believe that this mental strength is a sign," her mother asked.

"Mother, I have met many amazing men over my life. I have never felt like this before," Fleur said, unable to contain her excitement. "I'm sure some would accuse me of being attracted to his fame, but it not like that. It is his kindness, his strength, his mind, his bravery. He is making me go crazy!"

"Go on."

"When he is around, I feel tongue tied, like I am under a spell he has put on me. Every time I look into his eyes, I feel entranced. When I see him talking to other girls, I get angry, and when he is not around he is all I can think about. For the first time, I understand what you meant when you said I would be drawn to my mate. Mother, I think I am falling in love with him."

"Really?" Her mother had an amused look on her face. "You are sure this is not a little crush? This is your magic reacting?"

"No, that's not true," Fleur admitted. "I'm not falling in love anymore. I'm already there. I love Harry." She blushed and sat down. "Wow."

"Was that so hard to say?" Apolline said. She had known it was coming from her daughter's first letter, the moment that the mysterious boy had brushed off her allure on Halloween. Finally, her daughter had found someone, and Apolline knew she would need to have Laurent reach out to his Japanese friend to get the measure of this young boy soon. For now, she was just thrilled that her daughter looked happier than she had in years.

"I was afraid," Fleur told her. "Saying it aloud would be admitting it. He is just so amazing, I feel like I won't have a chance to make him mine. If I was not a Veela, would he even notice me?"

"You are the champion of your school," her mother reminded her. "Besides, if he asked you to the ball isn't that a clear sign that he is interested?"

'It's more complex than that," Fleur said, and spent a few minutes explaining to her mother how Harry had ended up as her date. "I don't know how he feels."

"Well, the ball would be a great chance to find out," her mother said. "It sounds quite fortuitous that the day you really met him was the day he became available. You say your friend Susan is interested as well? You know I like Susan and her aunt very much. That speaks to the character of this young man."

"He is amazing," Fleur told her. "It really is not about him as a wizard, or as a celebrity. Mother, his accomplishments would amaze you. He had killed a basilisk and can create a Patronus so strong that it is literally solid."

"No," her mother scoffed. Fleur just stared at her, conveying sincerity with her eyes. "That is impossible!"

"What is impossible?" Laurent said, coming down the stairs holding a black bag.

"You daughter is convinced that her date killed a basilisk."

"Ridiculous, but not impossible," Laurent said with a speculative look on her face. "I heard a few students at Hogwarts were petrified two years ago. That would explain it."

"But for a second year student to kill it?" Appoline said.

"Stranger things have happened," her husband said.

"He was trained by Takashi," Fleur's mother mused.

"He was?" Laurent was clearly surprised. "I'm surprised my friend never told me. Nevertheless, if the boy was trained by Takashi, he would have a better chance than most."

"He only started that training recently, this summer," Fleur told her father. "Do you remember Susan Bones?"

"The niece of Amelia?" Laurent asked. Fleur nodded. "Yes, she is a delightful young woman."

"She told me, and Harry didn't deny it. Susan wouldn't make it up. I've touched his Patronus too. It is warm, and very solid."

"A basilisk is one thing, but a solid Patronus is indeed impossible," her mother said. "I would have trouble believing he can even cast a corporeal Patronus. Many of the strongest wizards and witches I know can't cast a corporeal Patronus, let alone a solid one which has never been done."

"Why would I lie?" Fleur pointed out.

"I would very much like to meet him in the near future," Laurent said. Fleur turned to him, her eyes blazing. "Would you deny me that chance?"

"I do not want you to scare him off," Fleur told him.

"I am sure if the boy can face down dementors and a snake that can petrify its victims he can stand meeting a politician." Fleur's eyes flamed, but she grabbed the dress bag and stormed off. "That was interesting."

"She is already head over heels," his wife told him. "If you do meet him and he seems to be a good man, we should start planning the wedding."

"The boy is 14!" Laurent snapped.

"The younger the better," his wife said calmly. "We will get his guardians to sign off. We would probably have to wait until after the tournament, but I'm confident your daughter can convince him."

"She is a child," the French politician said.

"She will be adult in the eyes of the law at year's end," Apolline said. "Besides, if this boy is so amazing, he might escape her grasp. Why deny your daughter the chance to be happy?I'd prefer for the child to be born in wedlock." Her husband glared at her. "What? I know Fleur wants to be a mother, and it's hard enough for Veela to have children. Don't be a child Laurent."

"They are young, and will still change as people," her husband said. "It would be foolish to act on feelings that have not been around for a long time. If the boy is 14, he might be entirely different person in one year, let alone 15 years. And children? Don't be ridiculous. He is a student Apolline." His wife just huffed at that and they sat in uncomfortable silence.

"I expect Fleur will want your blessing," Appoline said with a wave of her hand "not your permission. If that is the case, you will give it to her." Her voice had the steel of command, not a request.

Well," Laurent said, and then went over to the fireplace, "we shall see." He knew that if his wife and daughter put on pressure on him and if Fleur appeared truly happy that it was a moot point and that he would accede to the demand and give his blessing, though he would resist his daughter having children at such a young age vehemently. He lit the fire and tossed some powder in. "Takashi Hayashi!" It took a few minutes, but then his friend's face appeared.

"Laurent?"

"Hello Takashi."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We need to talk about one of your students." Takashi's face betrayed concern. "A certain Harry Potter."

"Stand back," Takashi said. Laurent killed the fire and stepped back. A moment later the fire flared and Takashi stepped out, brushing himself off. "Hello Apolline."

"Hello. So, you took him on as a student."

"He is a talented young lad," Takashi said, taking a seat. "What surprised me was how well he got along with my son. They became quite close. Harry also received some specialized instruction this summer, from the man who is now his true master."

"Specialized?" Laurent asked.

"Yes. Nambung Sa Bum stayed with me this summer, and he is quite fond of the boy as well." The face of the two elder Delacour's went white.

"That man is a monster. Please tell me Harry is not like him."

"They are similar in that they have similar attractive qualities," Takashi said with a laugh, "although I do not thing Nambung is a monster. Harry does not have that viciousness or disregard for human life that makes some see Nambung as a monster. I tend to think that he is more like a necessary evil. But for Harry, might I ask what your interest in him is?"

"Our daughter has met him at the tournament," Laurent said.

"Ah yes, congratulations on that," Takashi said. "It is quite an honor. Akira let me know her performance against the dragon was quite impressive. I'm sorry to say the best she will be able to achieve is second. I would ask your daughter not to tell him, but my son says Harry is most likely a genius. He will be one of the more powerful wizards in the school by years end, not to mention his physical fighting prowess which I'm told has grown in leaps and bounds."

"What do you mean?" Apolline asked. "About being a genius."

"Well, there are 4 levels of skill and talent," Takashi said. "Most people, like you and I would be classified as normal. The level above that is genius, around .05 percent of the population, who are naturally gifted. They are stronger, faster, smarter, and more magically powerful. With the right training, they are nearly impossible to stop. My son is close, but not truly a genius, still normal. I suspected in time, Harry will surpass him. Perhaps before the end of the year with the right motivation and training."

"Then there are prodigies. These are less numerous and are unmatched in a single field. They varely widely in strength. Some may be weaker than your youngest daughter, and some may be my equal."

Then finally, there are naturals. They transcend talent and are incomparable in almost everything they do and all abilities and skills they posses. Nambung is the only one I have ever met, though he may be a prodigy as well as a natural. I suspect that Dumbledore is probably a genius, for comparison. Harry is on that level as well. Although Akira says his brother isn't interested, Harry will win the tournament."

"So Harry will become one of the strongest wizards in Britain based purely on natural talent?" Apolline asked

"Of course not," Takashi replied. "While natural talent plays a role, there are other factors, namely accumulation of knowledge, accumulation of experience, and quality of instruction. Harry would become one of the strongest wizards in Europe and Asia if he moved to Asia to complete his training with Nambung. Assuming he stays in Britain, I could not begin to guess at whether or not he would or even could fulfill his potential."

"That's all well and good, but that's not really my interest in him," Laurent said. "My daughter has heard some crazy stories about him, involving a basilisk. She also says he had a solid Patronus." Takashi looked at Laurent, his eyes questioning. "So?"

"I guess they are crazy stories," Takashi said, and Laurent sagged in his chair. "I haven't heard about the solid Patronus though. I'll need to ask Akira, but it's probably possible. It was close to being solid over the summer."

"What?" Appoline shouted. "That's crazy."

"No, the basilisk was crazy," Takashi said. "Must have been more than 20 meters. He stabbed it with a sword. I almost lost my mind when I saw his memories of the fight. Granted, he had the help of a phoenix, but it was still shocking. I have not seen the like. I could not have shown that much courage and fight at 40, let alone 12."

"If my daughter was interested, would she be in danger?" Appoline asked quickly.

"Is she?" Appoline nodded in response to the question. "Well," Takashi said, "Harry is certainly in the center of the action. But I know it is hard for Veela to find appropriate mates, so I will say this. Harry is an exceptional young man who I respect very much and am proud to call a student and friend. While I would not have imagined it, now that you have brought it up, I think they would be very happy together. I'd encourage your daughter to pursue him, and I'll give Akira a heads-up as well. He's a little over-protective."

"I would hope my daughter would not be in danger," Laurent said.

"The world is a dangerous place, and your daughter never struck me as someone who would want to stay on the sidelines," Takashi said. "If she wanted a partner to stand at her side in the face of danger, Harry is as good a choice as any."


	33. Chapter 33

Chattanooga notes

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: Only one chapter for this day, but still, it's a pretty specific date**

Chapter 33: Under the Lights

December 25th, 1994

"Well, you look quite dashing," Minnie said to Harry. Harry flashed her a smile. "How did you decide on green?"

"Well, Lavender heard me and a few other guys talking about clothes, so she volunteered to help me. She is quite good at the color charm."

"She is quite different than your other friends," Minnie remarked.

"Yeah, but don't let her fool you. I know she doesn't get the best grades, but she is good with people," Harry said.

"I don't know her as well as I should, but I'll take your word for it," his grandma said. "You've taken a lot of my time this year." Harry flashed a bashful smile at that and Minnie grinned back. Despite how crazy his year had been, at heart her grandson was the same shy but confident 14-year old that she was proud to call her blood. The door swung open and Akira walked in. He was in a normal tuxedo and was wearing a bow-tie that he tugged at. Harry grinned at his brother, who was clearly uncomfortable.

"You look really spiffy," Harry said, elbowing him.

"I feel ridiculous," Akira said. "Why can't I just wear regular clothes?"

"You can't ever cut loose, just a little bit?" Harry said, his smile growing wider. "Just relax and go with the flow. Minnie, you should make him dance tonight." Akira's face went wide. "Come on, you always preach how important footwork is. Now you can show it to everyone."

"Don't be ridiculous," Akira snapped. "Come on now, it's time to get going."

"Right," Harry said, and followed them down to the entrance to the great hall. He waved to a few friends as they walked past him. Cedric was wearing a regular tuxedo and looked quite nervous. Madame Maxime and Karakoff were dressed up as well. The only person wearing non-formal clothes was Dumbledore, in the same style robe he always wore.

"Well, we are waiting for a few more," Dumbledore said. Cedric and Harry nodded, and then Harry heard the older boy gasp a little. His eyes widened, and a goofy smile floated over his face. Harry turned and saw Hermione descending down the stairs. Lavender had grabbed him earlier that day and told him that Hermione was going to shock the entire school and Harry couldn't help but agree.

Instead of the normal bushy hair, Hermione had done her hair so that it coiled around the top of her head, while most of it was in a long braid that went just over her right shoulder. She was wearing a long gown that was a light blue that seemed to flow around her. She gave a shy smile and walked down the last few steps. Harry elbowed Cedric, knocking him out of a daze.

"Go say hi," Harry hissed. Cedric walked up to Hermione and whatever he said made his best friend flush. Cedric offered her his arm and walked over to Harry. "Hermione, you look absolutely stunning."

"Thank you Harry," Hermione said. "You look good yourself."

"Cedric, I will have to steal a dance from her tonight," Harry said with a laugh.

"That's fine, as long as I get one with your date," Cedric said.

"Harry, who are you going with?" Hermione said crossly. "Does Cedric know?"

"It was partially his idea," Harry told her. "I wasn't planning on going, but he had a good idea, so we went with it." He turned and looked down the hallway. "Hermione, I don't know that you have ever actually been introduced, so if you will allow me?" Hermione nodded, and then saw Harry's date, and her eyes widened.

As she glided closer, Harry had to take a few deep breaths. He knew that he and Fleur were going as friends, but under different circumstances he would have been quite pumped up to be going dancing with her. She was an absolute vision in a silver dress, and Harry saw she was wearing the necklace he had sent her parents. She gave him a smile and a hug. Harry was surprised when the hug tightened, and Fleur didn't move for a few seconds.

"Thank you again, Harry," Fleur breathed into his ear before releasing him. She left an arm around his back, and Harry was surprised to realize he didn't really hate it. Her arm almost felt comfortable, and they were now exactly the same height. "I'm looking forward to tonight."

"As am I," Harry said, guiding Fleur over to the other couple. "Hermione let me introduce my date. This is Fleur Delacour, the champions of Beauxbaton. Fleur, this is my oldest and best friend, Hermione Granger."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Fleur said. She released Harry for a second to give Hermione a quick hug, but as soon as the hug was done her left arm went back to Harry. Cedric raised an eye at Fleur, and after making sure Harry wasn't looking and was talking to Hermione, she flashed Cedric a small smile and a nod. The Hufflepuff's eyes widened a little bit, but he managed to stay relatively calm.

"This is all well and good, but where is Krum?" Karakoff said, anger clear on his face.

"Oh yeah," Harry said, trying to keep a straight face. "Victor didn't want to come. Did I forget to tell you?"

"Harry, he has to come," Dumbledore said gently. "The champions need to open the ball."

"I don't know exactly where he is," Harry lied. He suspected he could find Krum if forced to but was more than happy to let his new friend avoid the spotlight. Harry even made eye contact with Dumbledore and Karakoff, daring them to try to pry open his mind. "He didn't want to deal with the press, since there are going to be a few members here. Thought I guess there won't be too many there after all. I guess I forgot to mention." Harry's smile was almost predatory, with Cedric and Fleur trying and failing to hide their own signs of mirth.

"I'll go find him," Karakoff told everyone angrily, and then stalked off. The remaining Hogwarts professors just shrugged at each other, and all but the Deputy Headmistress filed into the fall.

"Well," McGonagall said. "We will go in and sit. Wait for the doors to open again, and then you will come in and do an opening dance. Then go sit at the head table. Have a good night all." The professors all walked in and the door shut behind them, leaving the two couples alone in the hall.

"So where is he?" Cedric asked.

"Hiding on in the library," Harry said. "He said Karakoff will never think to look for him there."

"Harry!" Hermione hissed. "You lied to Professor Dumbledore?"

"I wouldn't say it like that," Harry said. "I just said I don't know _exactly_ where he is. I have no idea what table in the library he is at." Hermione glared at Harry, and then Fleur started laughing. Cedric couldn't hide his smile and soon Hermione's glare vanished, though she still didn't look pleased. "Hermione, it's no big deal. There are apparently a few members of the press, and Victor is just sick of it."

"Press?" Hermione said, registering the word for the first time. She looked a little sick.

"Hermione?" Harry said, grabbing her hands. "Close your eyes, and just take a deep breath. In…and out." He released her hands, and Fleur again wrapped her arm around his back. Cedric glanced at the French witch, who looked a little angry. The younger champion was clearly baffled by Fleur's growing irritation, and Cedric groaned internally. "Better?" Harry asked his best friend.

"A little," Hermione said.

"I wanted you to be my partner tonight," Cedric said. "Be confident. I think I'm the luckiest guy here." Harry saw Hermione straighten, and she nodded.

"I think that Harry and I will attract most of the attention," Fleur said. "When we get in there, I'm probably not going to be able control my allure too well. Don't worry about it. We will go in and have a good time." The door swung open, and Harry indicated to Cedric, who gave a sigh of relief as the tension left the hallway.

"We'll go second. I think it will cause a bigger stir that way," Harry said with a grin.

"You are enjoying this too much," Cedric said, extending his arm for Hermione.

"Oh, I'm well aware," Harry told him as Cedric and Hermione stepped into the great hall, which Harry could see was transformed into a ballroom. "Fleur, I know you are worried about your allure tonight. I just want to add one more promise." He held up his right arm, and the sleeve on the robe slid down, revealing his wand. "If anyone gets out of hand with you, I'll hex them until they can't stand."

"Thank you, but I can look after myself," Fleur said with a smile.

"Oh, I know you can," Harry told her. "You can have them after I'm done."

"You are ridiculous," Fleur said, taking Harry's extended arm. They walked into the ballroom and Harry heard a collective gasp at the two champions together. "They all seem surprised." Harry felt Fleur's allure get a little stronger as they neared the center of the room. He could tell she was a little nervous as her hand slid up to his shoulder and gripped him a little harder.

"Ok," Harry said to himself. "Very simple." He was a little nervous as he took Fleur's hand with his left and put his other on her hip. He took a deep breath and then looked at Fleur. For the first time, Harry realized how well her blue eyes complimented the dress and then the music started. Harry barely heard the music as he and his date glided around the floor. The steps he had painstakingly practiced were second nature with the French Champion in his arms.

Fleur saw something in Harry's eyes she had not seen before. He was pleased to be here with her, and for the first time Harry seemed to register that she was indeed a vision. His palms were a little sweaty and he occasionally glanced away, only to be drawn back to her eyes. It was an odd sensation for Fleur, to be dancing with someone who was entranced by her and not her allure, but through it all Fleur had to hide a triumphant smile.

Harry had no idea how long they danced, but it seemed like a split second later that others were all around them on the dance floor. Harry almost shook himself free from a spell over his mind, and saw Fleur do the same.

"How long have we been out here?" Fleur asked quietly. Harry glanced at his watch.

"I think quite a while," Harry said. "Want to go eat?"

"Very much," Fleur said, and Harry led her to the table where Cedric and Hermione sat.

"Thought you two would be out there all night," Cedric said. "Mind if we eat now?"

"You didn't need to wait," Harry said, holding Fleur's seat out for her and then sitting next to Cedric with Fleur on his other side. He looked at the menu on top of his plate curiously. "What is this?"

"Just say what food you want," Cedric said. "Like so. Lamb chops!" The food appeared on his plate, and Harry nodded understanding. Soon all four were eating and chatting about nothing in particular.

"Harry," someone across the table said, and Harry looked up and saw familiar red hair.

"Percy?" Harry said. "What are you doing here?" Hermione glanced up and saw the familiar past head boy. "I thought you were at the ministry now?"

"I am," Percy said. "I'm here for my boss, Mr. Crouch. He is feeling under the weather. He chose me to represent him at dinner." Percy puffed out his chest and Harry held back a groan. "I have to say, I'm surprised you didn't choose a nice English girl as your date." He glowered at Fleur, and Harry held his right arm up, allowing his sleeve to slide down, having every intent on hexing Percy into the nearest wall. Fleur slid her hand into his and lowered it to the table.

"Oh, I was so pleased to be Harry's date," Fleur said. "My father was happy as well. If you are in Mr. Crouch's department, I'm surprised you have never met him. He used to be the head of the French Aurors, and now he is the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. His name is Laurent Delacour." Percy's eyes widened, and Harry realized the Weasley Bureaucrat recognized the name and had committed a big slight.

"Nicely done," Harry said. Fleur gave him a smile, and Harry felt his stomach do a flop. He pushed that thought out of his mind instantly. What in the world was going on? He was here as Fleur's friend, and Harry held in his anger at himself. The fact that she was still holding his hand didn't make it easier. "Sorry about Percy. He has always been a bit of a prat."

"It's ok," Fleur said. "Is he perhaps related to your red-head friend?" Harry nodded, curious as to why Fleur brought up Ron. "Oh. His brother asked me out to the ball, and then ran away before I could answer. It was quite funny."

"Yeah, Ron is certainly one of the more susceptible to the allure," Hermione explained. "It's a little ridiculous."

"Don't worry about it," Harry said. "Now Cedric, I believe I told you I was going to steal Hermione for a dance." He stood and offered Hermione his arm, which she took. "Will you honor me with a dance?"

"Of course, kind sir." Harry guided Hermione out to the floor and they began to dance. "You and Fleur looked really good out here earlier. You must have danced for 20 straight minutes."

"You and Cedric didn't look too bad yourselves," Harry said. To be honest, Harry had absolutely no idea if that was true. He assumed it would be fine, but everything else in the world had seemed to vanish when he was dancing with Fleur. He would have to ask her if that was an unusual side effect of her allure. "I hope he is being a gentleman."

"He is," Hermione said. "I have a bit of a weird question. Harry, you didn't ask him to take me, right?"

"Of course not," Harry said.

"So," Hermione said, her voice so quiet Harry had to lean in to hear here, "do you think he might actually fancy me?"

"Hermione, I think he would be crazy not to." She turned away and Harry realized he had messed up. "Whoops," Harry muttered to himself. "Hermione," Harry said, loud enough for his dancing partner to hear him, "I am 100% sure he really likes you." Harry could see Hermione was still not convinced. Time for embarrassment. "I bet he tries to snog you senseless tonight."

"Harry!" Hermione cried out, but Harry couldn't stop himself from laughing as the song ended. He guided her back over to Cedric, who was dancing with Fleur.

"Hey, give it a go," Harry said as he handed her back to Cedric. "I hear it's pretty fun."

"My turn for a dance!" Lavender cried, grabbing Harry and leading him back to the dance floor. As the evening progressed, Harry danced with his new friends, also dancing with Susan, Hannah, and even Daphne, although their dance was stiff and definitely more than a little awkward. Through all of it Fleur sat alone, turning down potential partners, her eyes stuck upon the black haired green eyed wizard. Eventually the French Witch decided enough was enough

"If you don't mind," Fleur said as she cut in on Daphne, "I'd like my date back for a little while." Harry gave Daphne a sheepish smiled as he guided Fleur away and they started dancing as the next song started. Fleur wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and her frown was instantly a graceful smile.

"Hermione looked quite nervous," Fleur said.

"Oh, I was just trying to embarrass her," Harry explained. "She is worried that Cedric doesn't fancy her, which is ridiculous. He has been interested in her all year."

"I can tell," Fleur said. "You can see it in how he looks at her. Did he get her anything special for Christmas?"

"Oh, yeah," Harry said. "I forgot to tell you. All of my Hogwarts friends decided with the Yule Ball today, we would meet up, celebrate, and do presents on New Year's. I was hoping you could join and meet them. I got you something, and I'd love to see you open it in person."

"Harry, you have already given me enough, just by coming with me tonight!" Fleur said. "I feel bad enough with just this necklace."

"Don't think of it as a present then," Harry. "Someone gave me some advice that I thought was very good."

"What advice?" Fleur said, her eyes alight.

"She said all woman had body image issues. It's an intrinsic part of being a woman. Nothing you can say will change how she feels. What men don't understand is with the right clothes, the right jewelry, the right makeup, it hides the flaws they think they have, and makes us look beautiful to ourselves. That's what makes you beautiful to everyone else."

"That is interesting," Fleur said. "What does that have to do with the jewelry?"

"Now that I think about it, it's stupid," Harry said, blushing and looking away. The music slowed and Harry and Fleur slowed as well. Fleur slid her hand up to Harry's neck, forcing her to look at her. "Well, I was just thinking that I wanted you to know that to me, it didn't matter what you wear. When the person who gave me that advice was worried about the message I was sending with necklace, I told her what I'm about to tell you. I think you are amazing in so many ways, and the fact that not having something to wear might change how you feel about yourselves is crazy when you are so breathtakingly beautiful." Harry heard Fleur inhale sharply. "Stupid, right?" He looked up and saw a tear in Fleur's eye. "Fleur I-" Harry started to say but couldn't finish as Fleur tightened her arms around his neck, leaned forward and kissed him.

Fleur had been trying to resist since the moment she saw him. But as they danced and talked, Fleur now knew that there was something in Harry's body language that had not been there before. Over the course of the night, Fleur began to wonder if there was anything more than friendship from the young champion, and when he told her she was beautiful, she couldn't help herself.

Harry stood stock still as Fleur's lips met his, and he tensed up in surprise. The kiss lasted for quite a few seconds, as Fleur snuggled up against the youngest champion but Harry was so stunned he stood stock still like a fish out of water. Fleur drew back as Harry didn't respond, and Harry saw a half tear in his date's eye. They had stopped dancing and Harry stared at Fleur, confusion clear on his face. Fleur's face went bright red, and she tried to pull away, but Harry's strong arms tightened on her waist, preventing escape.

"Did I do that?" He murmured in her ear. "I don't think I reacted to your allure, but if I messed up,"

"No, I did that," Fleur said, and Harry released her. "I'm sorry, Harry. I just need some air." Fleur walked away and out the far door into the night, and Harry went back to his seat and slid into it, totally baffled. He heard someone slide into Fleur's now empty chair, and saw Charlie, in his normal dragon handler clothes.

"Hey Harry," Charlie said.

"Nice of you to dress up," Harry told the new professor.

"Yeah, I don't do that," Charlie said. "So, you and Fleur?"

"We are just friends," Harry said, though he was not sure if that was the case anymore. He had been sure Fleur saw him as a friend, 100% sure. Until around 1 minute ago. He resolved to get up and find her in a minute, but he needed a minute to himself as well.

"Yeah, because the last time I checked friends kissed each other like she just kissed you," Charlie said.

"You saw that?" Harry hissed.

"Not too many people did, if that is why you are so testy," Charlie said. "I'm here on bodyguard duty. Tonight seemed like a perfect night to attack you, so McGonagall and I have been keeping an eye on you." Harry nodded, still composing himself. "So, friends or more?"

"I have to go talk to her," Harry said, rising.

"Harry," Charlie said, and Harry glanced back. "Just do me a favor and keep an eye out." Harry nodded. "And be honest. Girls like that don't come around that often." Harry rolled his eyes, but then took a deep breath and walked out into the garden. He looked around but didn't see her. He did see two couples in the nearby bushes snogging. He walked past them and looked down the path. He saw a glimmer of silver and as he kept walking, he saw Fleur sitting on a bench near the edge of the garden. He sat down next to her, and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So…" Harry said, unsure of what to say, but feeling like he needed to say something.

"I'm sorry," Fleur blurted out. Harry could see she was just holding back tears. "I shouldn't have kissed you like that. I just couldn't stop myself." Harry didn't know what made him do it, but he put an arm around Fleur and guided her head to her shoulder. She started to cry, and Harry began to feel more uncomfortable. He thought back to how Hayashi Sensei had dealt with his wife that summer when she became upset in front of others, and kissed Fleur gently on the forehead. Her tears seemed to stop, and she turned to look at Harry, her eyes curious.

"You don't have to apologize," Harry said, and as he searched for the right words Fleur leaned towards him, but this time she stopped centimeters away.

July 1994

"Harry, I know that you haven't done a lot of long-term thinking, but today I was hoping we could do some visualization," Hayashi Sensei said.

"Of course Sensei," Harry said, extremely confused.

"Harry, you have no idea what I mean, do you?" his master asked. Harry reluctantly nodded. "I appreciate the respect, but you can always tell me when something is unclear. So do you have any questions?"

"Sensei, what is visualization?" Harry saw Hayashi Sensei smile at him.

"Visualization is meditating, but instead of calming your mind you focus on an image or series of images. I often use it to see a fight in my mind. Sit in your meditation stance." Harry sat and Hayashi Sensei sat across from him. "I'll guide you at the beginning. Let your mind clear." Harry took a few deep breaths, and began to form the picture of the lake in his mind.

"Now, I want you to see yourself in the future." Harry's lake faded away, and he saw someone that looked like himself. As Harry focused on the person, they became clearer and Harry saw the telltale scar on the forehead of the adult. He had the same eyes and hair, but he was taller and he had the same wry grin Harry had developed over the summer. Harry jumped a little as he realized this person was himself in the future.

"You have that person?" Harry nodded. "That person should be happy right?" Harry nodded, but it was much less emphatic. The man began to smile, wider. "Why are they happy? What surrounds them?" Harry saw Ron and Hermione next to him, both of them laughing. They were all sitting on a bench, and a few children were on Ron's lap.

"I see myself and my friends. Ron even has some kids!" Harry said, in a half trance.

"What about you? Do you have a partner and kids?" That question snapped Harry out of the trance and he snapped back in his seat.

"Ugh," Harry said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Have you ever thought about that?" Hayashi Sensei asked gently. His eyes bore into Harry. He did not particularly care if Harry wanted to get married or wanted kids. But it was crucial that he work himself out of the sense of hopelessness that Takashi had seen when he thought about the future, and a partner and kids was a good way to do that.

"Honestly? I have never thought about it, but now that you mention it, I might want that. I figured I would never last long enough for it to matter."

"Why don't you go find that picture again? Maybe add some kids." Harry nodded and after a few deep breaths he was back in the image, and he saw a young boy waving to him from the swings, with a very young girl by his feet. "What is there now?"

"My son James, and my daughter. I don't know her name, but she is very cute."

"Do you have a wife there?" Hayashi Sensei asked. Harry snapped out of the vision again.

"I don't have anyone like that," Harry said.

"Well, I'll teach you a secret about girls." Hayashi Sensei scooted next to Harry. "When you meet a girl that fits into that image, make sure you hold on to her."

December 25th 1994

Harry could feel Fleur's rushed breath on his lips, and as he stared into her eyes, he saw, in the back of his mind, himself back on that bench, and he saw Fleur pick up his daughter and swing the laughing girl into her arms, both with glowing gold locks. The memory of what Hayashi Sensei had said all those months ago flashed into Harry's mind. Almost without thinking, Harry's arms tightened around Fleur's back, bringing her closer to him, and he bent down, closing the tiny distance between their lips.

All of Harry's kisses with Daphne had been passionate and full of fire. This kiss was different, more tentative and questioning. Harry pulled back and saw delight in Fleur's eyes, so he leaned in and kissed her again. This kiss lasted longer and Harry's arms tightened even more and he brought Fleur's body flush against him.

Fleur couldn't believe how happy she was when Harry had kissed her. She had been surprised, but had responded, kissing him back tentatively, not wanting to drive him away. When he pulled back she had felt like her heart was breaking, until he moved back to press his lips to hers with more desire. She felt herself melting into her embrace, and everything in the world that was not Harry's lips and arms no longer existed. Any doubt about her feelings for Harry evaporated in his arms. She was totally head over heels for the man whose arms were around her.

Harry tried to disengage but Fleur wasn't willing to let him go and gave him a few quick kisses, trying to entice him to keep kissing her, but eventually Harry broke away, taking a deep breath. Fleur buried her head even deeper into his chest so her face wasn't visible, and Harry's hand went into her hair, stroking it gently. What had started as a kiss had definitely turned into a very serious snog, and Harry needed to talk to Fleur for a second. Although he definitely felt something when they kissed, it was very different than Daphne. Daphne kissed him like the world was ending and she wanted to die in Harry's embrace. When he kissed Fleur, it seemed like it was a promise about the future, and Harry liked the new feeling.

"Fleur, how do you feel about me?" Harry asked.

"How about you kiss me again, and I'll tell you?" Fleur said, her voice muffled by his dress robes.

"Can we just talk for a moment first?" Harry pleaded. He felt Fleur nod and she pulled away from him, though she was awfully close and Harry was tempted to lean in and snog her again. "Look, I don't know why, but I just really wanted to kiss you. Was I reading something wrong?"

"Not at all," Fleur said. "I am very happy right now. Actually, I can't believe how happy I am. I'll be even happier if you kiss me again."

"So, do you fancy me?" Harry asked. He couldn't imagine someone like Fleur would be interested in him. She was talented, powerful, smart, funny, driven, and gorgeous. He was just Harry, still struggling to find out who he was. Yet her responses to his kisses suggested that she was more than interested.

"For someone of Veela heritage, it is a little more complicated than whether or not I fancy you," Fleur admitted. "So maybe we should talk about it. But before we get so serious, I would appreciate it if you, what do the English say? Snog me at least once more." When she gazed into his eyes, Harry couldn't resist so he leaned in and their lips met. He heard someone hurrying down the path and they broke away. The footsteps got louder and Harry turned to see Susan striding down the path towards him.

"Susan?" Fleur asked, and Harry could tell she was incredibly mad at her friend for interrupting. "Could we maybe talk later?"

"What was your idiot godfather thinking?" Susan yelled.

"Excuse me?" Fleur said. Harry stared at Susan, and then it hit him.

"What did he do?" Harry asked.

"He decided to go say hi to my aunt. She had no choice to arrest him. He's being held right now, and while she is trying to make sure he doesn't get kissed, she told me if Fudge gets word he will be here early tomorrow with a dementor."

"Oh man," Harry groaned. "Fleur, we will have to continue this later, if that's ok?" He had phrased it as a question, but he was getting up as he said it. Harry didn't even stop to hear if she answered as he strode back towards the converted great hall.

"What are you going to do?" Susan asked, trailing along beside him.

"I don't know," Harry said. "I've got to talk to Remus and if your aunt will let me, I have to talk to Sirius. But if your aunt thinks Fudge will come tomorrow and have Sirius kissed, then I do know I have to do one thing tomorrow."

"What is that?" Susan asked. Harry didn't say anything, but his course of action was clear. Apparently, Sirius would need yet another jailbreak.


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: Still same day at the beginning, but this happened at the same time as the ball. Also **

Chapter 34: A Desperate Plan

December, 1994

Amelia Bones struggled to keep the smile off her face. She had just come from meeting with her niece before the ball. Susan was a bright young girl, and Amelia loved her to death. But she was still learning and growing, and Amelia was not about to be tricked by her niece. Susan had tried her best, but when she left to go to the ball, there was an unstated understanding that Amelia knew Susan was lying

Susan gave Amelia some ridiculous story about why she could not go to the ball with her "boyfriend" Harry Potter. Amelia was not about to fall for that lie. Amelia knew her niece had a longstanding interest and potentially a crush, on Harry Potter. For her to act on that for no real reason this year would have been unusual. Susan was methodical, so when Susan told her the story about Sirius and then told her it was because she and Harry were dating, Amelia instantly knew it was a lie.

The real question was how did Susan know so much about Sirius? It was possible that Dumbledore knew as much as Susan said, but there was no reason that Dumbledore would share information with Susan. At least, there was no reason one that she could see. Dumbledore always had his own agenda, and key to the agenda was keeping information to himself.

The only possible answer was that somehow, becoming a Lord had allowed Harry Potter to dig on Sirius. Of course, Sirius had escaped after meeting Harry last year, and Harry had survived that meeting, so perhaps the ridiculous story Susan span for her was true. In which case, Amelia desperately needed to talk to Sirius. There was a part of her that wanted to see the dashing rogue she had fallen for regardless.

She had not thought about Sirius for years. He was part of her past, a painful part but a key part of her growth. He was the first man who made her feel desirable, and the man who showed her she could change someone. Sirius had wanted to become a man who deserved her, and their split had been painful. Even if Sirius was entirely innocent, she was afraid of how he would react to her joining the auror corps especially since their final fight that led to the breakup was based around that.

Amelia was so deep into her thoughts that she couldn't react to the spell that grabbed her and hauled her into an empty classroom. By the time she got to her feet and drew her wand, the person who had grabbed her had moved into the shadows. She was angry and fired two quick stunners at the mysterious figure. They were both easily deflected. Amelia took a deep breath, ready to fight for her life. The next thing that happened stopped her cold.

"Hello, Amelia." The voice was familiar, and it took Amelia a second to process what she was hearing. It was impossible, which made it take longer. But eventually, her subconscious won out, making her acknowledge the impossible.

"Sirius?" Sirius Black stepped from the shadows, and Amelia Bones saw her first and greatest love for the first time in 15 years. He looked good for a man who had spent 12 years in a prison designed to drive men mad. It was probably the year and a half he had spent out of the prison. The humor was still in his eyes, although it was much deeper. He looked underweight, and the smile barley reached the eyes. But he was still Sirius Black.

They took a few steps towards each other, and that smile that disarmed her all those years ago did it again, and Amelia sheathed her wand and ran into Sirius's arms. They held each other with a passion and fury, and Amelia could feel his tears running down his cheeks and into her hair. Sirius had never cried in front of her, even in their fights, and the tears made her hesitate. But his arms were the same, and the tension in his back as she hugged him was so familiar.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" Amelia said, drawing back from him. He gave her a cocky smile she knew so well, and leaned in. Amelia took a half step back, but Sirius was persistent, and within seconds Amelia was in his arms again, their lips glued together in a desperate and passionate kiss. It took quite a few minutes for them to get the passion out of their system. As they withdrew Sirius stumbled, and Amelia helped him to the floor.

"It's nice to see you," Sirius told her. "I think we have a lot of catching up to do, although I'm sure my story is far less interesting."

"Look, Sirius," Amelia said, standing up. "It's clear we both have some unresolved feelings, but I think I should go. I'm the head of the DMLE, and I can't be seen with you. I think its best, for the time, if we don't see each other."

"I can't do that," Sirius said, drawing his wand. "I lost you 15 years ago. I won't make the same mistake."

"Don't make me do this," Amelia said drawing her wand. "If we fight, I'll have to call Fudge. I don't know I'll be able to get the kiss on sight order removed. Don't make me be responsible for your death," Amelia pleaded, her voice shaking. "You can't beat me, Sirius. Not after 12 years in Azakaban."

"Only one way to see," Sirius said. "Know that whatever happens, I love you Amelia. I have since I was 16."

"I love you too Sirius," Amelia managed to get out in between sobs. "I really hope you beat me.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

December 1994

"So, your aunt beat him," Harry said. Almost his entire friend group was crowded around Harry in the Gryffindor common room.

"Yeah," Susan told him. "I mean, she is the head of the DMLE for a reason."

"I don't know what he was thinking!" Harry snapped. "Of all the stubborn pigheaded things to do, he had to do the one thing Remus asked him not to do." Harry rubbed his head. "Look, I appreciate everyone turning out to help. But right now I need to focus on preparing a legal defense for Sirius, so that he doesn't get kissed on sight."

"Just let us know if you need help," Neville said as the crowd dispersed.

"I'll talk to my aunt, but she is distraught," Susan said. "I could barely get the story out of her. Whatever she and Sirius talked about before they fought really hurt her. I didn't expect emotional depth from a member of the marauders." Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw one of the twins jump and little. Since that twin was closest to Angelica, he must have been George. He nudged Fred, and they moved away and started whispering.

Harry took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. When he opened his eyes, he saw that despite the late hour there were a few people remaining. Victor was sitting across from him, and Daphne was sitting next to him. The twins had stopped their whispered conference and were standing behind the couch Daphne and Krum were seated in.

"You know who the marauders are." George said. Harry nodded. There was no point it keeping it a secret. "How do you know?"

"Professor Lupin was Moony," Harry admitted. "He was very good friends with my dad, who was Prongs. The man who got captured is my godfather, Sirius Black. He's the person I need to stopped from kissed. He is Padfoot. Of course, you know Wormtail."

"What?" Fred said.

"He was the pet for both Percy and Ron," Harry said.

"How can a rat be a marauder?" The twins asked in unison.

"All of the marauders could transform. 3 of the 4 were unregistered animagi, and the fourth…" Harry trailed off.

"Professor Lupin was a werewolf," Fred said. Harry looked at him sharply. "Ron isn't great at keeping secrets. We put it together ourselves. Don't worry, we won't tell."

"Yeah," Harry explained. "My dad could turn into a stag, and Sirius could turn into a dog. The last marauder could turn into a rat named Wormtail. He killed my parents," Harry said, his voice going flat. Daphne stared at Harry as his voice lost emotion. She saw something in his eyes that worried her. She had no doubt that if the mysterious Wormtail appeared at this moment, Harry would kill him without hesitation, consequences be damned. She didn't truly understand what was going on. But perhaps if she stayed around, she could stop her friend from making a mistake he would regret forever.

"Huh," George said. "So Sirius is one of the good marauders, and you are the son of a marauder?"

"That's a pretty good summation," Harry agreed. The twins looked at each other and nodded.

"So what's the plan?" They said in unison.

"Plan?"

"The plan to bust him out and set him free," George said.

"You have marauder blood in your veins. I expect you already have a nefarious prank in the works," Fred said.

"As the inherits of their spirit, we'll help out, of course," they said in unison.

"Guys, I don't know what you are talking about," Harry said. "It's 2:00 in the morning. The only thing I can think at the moment is what books I'm going to read tomorrow to prepare Sirius's defense."

"Feel free to insult their intelligence, but don't insult mine," Daphne said. "If you were really planning a legal defense, you and Hermione would be in the library right now. You remember why I got mad at you? You take stupid risks because you are a man of action." She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "A lot of students are leaving on the express tomorrow. Can you at least wait until they leave at 9:00 to try your daring rescue? I guess I can floo back later."

"Harry, we would be disappointed if you didn't try," Fred said.

"We have not had a real chance to help you this year," George said. "Let us help you with this."

"Victor, can you tell these idiots that it's madness to take on a troop of aurors and the head of the British Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

"This man is important to you?" Victor said, speaking very slowly.

"He is my godfather. If he was declared innocent, he would become my guardian. That's why I'm going to defend him in court, not try and break him out."

"Your minister is rumored to be stubborn," Victor said, still speaking slowly. "We will plan to save him first, then maybe we go to court."

"Guys, this is insane," Harry said.

"Harry, like you said, a troop of aurors and Amelia Bones is a tough task." George said.

"You'll need help," Fred said. "Someone who is great at planning."

"You need someone to keep you in line," Daphne said.

"Some extra muscle might be useful too," Victor said.

"Not to mention, if things get really sticky, my position as heir to the seat of one of the sacred 28 will be extremely helpful to you," Daphne said. "You will need me to back you up."

"Nothing I say is going to dissuade you from getting involved?" Harry said.

"So you admit you are going to break him out?" Victor said.

"Yeah," Harry said. "He's my godfather. I have to."

"That is how family should be," Victor said. "This is all good. So, do you have a plan?"

"I had a plan if it was just me and Remus," Harry said. "But I guess it's going to have to change now. He was able to scout out the room they are holding Sirius in." Harry took a piece of parchment and a quill and started scribbling. He drew a rectangle and put a capital A in each of the corners. Then he drew a capital S in the center, with a few squiggly lines on it.

"What is this?" Fred asked.

"It's a floor plan, idiot," George said.

"Right now, they only have 4 aurors," Harry said. "Reinforcements are scheduled to arrive, potentially with Fudge and a Dementor, tomorrow at 11:00," Harry said. "We will attack between when the students leave at 9:00, and 11:00. I was planning 9:10. They will be relaxing with the students gone. It might give us the second advantage we need against trained cops."

"So there is an auror in each corner," Victor said, looking at the drawing. "And the prisoner in the middle of the room. It is a good plan. They can attack from 4 angles at once."

"If we can get Sirius free and get a wand into his hand, we can change the tide," Harry said. "He's actually a pretty powerful wizard. If it was just him, me, and Remus, we could beat the aurors in a straight fight. But I don't know I can break those chains in one shot."

"He is bound by chains in the middle of the room?" Victor asked. Harry nodded. "If you can get me close to the chains, I can break them all with one spell."

"So how do we get you into the room free and clear?" Daphne asked.

"Harry, if you went into the room, all 4 aurors would fire at you with no hesitation," George said.

"Good thinking," Fred said. "Could you dodge the attacks if they are all at one spot?"

"Maybe," Harry said. "Only if you are sure they will fire at the same spot."

"They are professionals, but they think the same way" George said. "They see something, they fire. You'll have to avoid upwards, but you can do that, right?"

"Probably," Harry replied. "But whoever is at the door will be hit."

"Not if Ms. Greengrass throws up a shield. Her shield will break, but the four attacks will collide and cancel out. If George and I time it right, then we will have a free shot," Fred explained.

"Two good stunners, and all the sudden it is 5 on 2. Amelia hears the commotion, but we have Professor Lupin block and stall her." George added.

"Then you two and Harry engage the remaining two, I shield Krum, and he breaks the chains."

"Ms. Greengrass is it?" Victor asked. She nodded. "My friends call me Victor."

"Are we friends?"

"We could be, if you shield holds up."

"Ok Victor," Daphne said. "My friends call me Daphne."

"Daphne's plan is good," Krum said. "If I know that she is blocking any attacks against me, I can make sure that I will break the chains instantly. If you give me an extra wand, we can arm your godfather quickly."

"Ok, so that is how we break Padfoot out," George said.

"How do we get him out the castle?" They said in unison.

"Even if the reinforcements arrive early, they will come in the front of the castle. We get Sirius up to the top of the castle, I guarantee we can get him free," Harry said.

"Can he fly?" Victor asked.

"No," Harry said. "But let's just say I can get him a ride out of here."

"Good," Daphne said. "So once we get him, we run as fast as possible up to the top floor."

"Good plans are often the simplest," Harry said. "This might actually work. That would be crazy. Two escapes in one year."

"You will have to tell us the whole story of the marauders and Sirius after this," Daphne said. George and Fred nodded eagerly.

"Absolutely." They all stood at the same time.

"Let's get some rest and meet in the great hall at 8:40. We won't all leave together, but we will meet on the landing outside the classroom at 9:05, and then go in," Victor suggested.

"Look, I appreciate you guys helping me plan, and to be honest I don't know I could get him out on our own, but you are helping an accused murder and fugitive from justice escape," Harry said. You could go to prison. Potentially even Azkaban for a long time."

"Hey, if a single marauder can break out of Azkaban"

"They don't have a chance of holding two," The other twin said. "We'll be out in under a month," they said in unison.

"They might get mad at me, but they won't arrest me," Krum said. "I'm at the least risk here."

"Don't worry about me either," Daphne said. "If it gets bad, I'll just turn and stun you."

"Sirius Black is accused of killing 12 people," Harry noted. "You are all just taking my word he is innocent. What if I am trying to break him out, and he is actually a bad guy."

"You are Harry," Fred said.

"You are also Harry Potter," George added.

"Neither of those guys would help a murderer escape," they said together. "Besides, if we don't help, we won't have a seeker next year and our girlfriends would murder us. Not to mention Oliver. Can't have you going to prison, not yet at least."

"I agree," Krum added. "Family needs to stick together. This is a good thing you are doing for your godfather."

"Harry, I would be shocked if this was all an elaborate con," Daphne said. "But even if it is, I'm sure you have your reasons, and that I would never be able to understand them. Besides, it would look bad if my ex-boyfriend went to prison. It would really hurt my social standing."

"So we are all in?" Harry said. They all had grim faced. No amount of posturing was allowing at this point. "No one will hold it against it against you if don't show up at breakfast. But if you wake up and still want to assist me in this madness, then I'll see you tomorrow morning."


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: I hope it is now feasible how a group of students can match up with fully trained aurors. To quote Dwight Eisenhower "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."**

**Also, I know Dumbledore as Supreme Mugwump included the entire world. I chose to change that. ****Chapter 35 was one of the chapters I was most excited to write. It ended up being a real hassle. Funny how things work out, huh?**

Chapter 35: Catch

December, 1994

For most of the students, breakfast was a boisterous affair. Some claimed that their Yule Ball had included much more snogging than might seem reasonable, others just told stories of how magical their night had been. Smaller still were the students who were exhausted but still joined in the storytelling and recounting of others. Close friends might have noticed the tension on the face of Harry and the twins, who sat on either side of him, but having seen Harry leave the ball early in pursuit of the French champion they stayed silent.

Harry didn't notice any of this. His ears recognized that nearby Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnegan were saying words. Dean and Lavender were also almost sitting on top of each other, a new development that Harry might have investigated on another day. But this was not another day. This was the day that Harry rescued his godfather, at the risk of becoming a fugitive from justice himself.

Before he had gone to bed, Harry realized something. He had no intention of wearing a disguise because it might slow his reactions by one millisecond. Against trained aurors, that could be the difference between victory and defeat. All of this mean that he would be recognized. No matter what the result of the rescue attempt was, he would be committing a criminal act.

When he had rescued Sirius the previous year, it was impossible to convict him. He supposedly was lying in a bed unconscious during the escape. Harry suspected the only reason Dumbledore has tacitly approved of the rescue mission was because Harry and Hermione wouldn't be convicted. This time around, if Dumbledore knew what Harry was up to, it wouldn't surprise the young Gryffindor if the most powerful wizard in Europe put a stop to his attempt before it began.

Dumbledore would not be able to penetrate his mind without using active legilimency, and even for a Legilimens as skilled as Dumbledore there was no guarantee that he could break the formidable mental defenses Harry had now. Akira, who by his own admission was not a great Legilimens occasionally tested Harry's mental defenses and had declared in November that it was too dangerous for him to keep diving into Harry's mind based on the strength of his brother's reflexive counterattack.

However, Harry had no doubt that even if the four co-conspirators were skilled Occlumens, they might be in danger. Many people who mastered the art often forgot to learn a key skill that was not mentioned in any instructional book. Closing off your mind was only valuable if you could sense when someone was trying to get inside your head. Keeping out an active legilimency attack was one thing but realizing from the faintest eye contact that someone was inside your head was much harder. Before returning to Hogwarts, Hayashi Sensei had told him that while he was an exceptionally powerful Occlumens. Harry's true talent was detecting even the slightest form of invasion and repelling it with force before the user had a chance to switch to an active attack, instead of just shielding.

Although Harry was fairly certain that Dumbledore would have no reason to be scanning their minds, he took a small comfort that the headmaster was not present at the teacher's table. Snape was present, but he looked busy as he was in a heated conversation with Igor Karakoff. On another day, Harry's interest would have been peaked, as he had seen Karakoff with Snape more than once. But today was not that day.

For a moment, Harry's mind focused on the absence of the headmaster. This was an important year for Hogwarts, given the controversies and issues of the last two years. To have multiple people petrified, and then have students attacked by dementors and having convict Sirius Black escape your school, Dumbledore must have been under serious political pressure, even if he had the moniker of the most powerful wizard behind him. But Dumbledore was not at school, and this was not the first time.

He had been present on all the important days, like the first feast, Halloween, the first task, and the actual night of the yule ball. But Harry could recall at least 10 days where Dumbledore did not make an appearance at any meal. It was possible he stayed in his office or simply wasn't seen, but as Harry thought back over his previous years, he could not recall more than a few instances of the headmaster not being present over dinner. For him to have a real and considerable amount of absences suggested he was dealing with something serious, possibly in his role of Chief Warlock of the British Ministry of Magic, or more likely Supreme Mugwump of the European International Confederation of Wizards.

Harry shook his head to physically knock the thoughts cluttering his head away from his mind. He had to be focused today of all days. Outside of being laser focused on not being slaughtered or burned by a dragon, followed by defeating 5 students without a wand while his muscles still ached all on the same day, this was the most important day of the year. There was only one priority, and it was Sirius. Dumbledore's absences, Snape and Karakoff, Dean and Lavender, all of these were mysteries for another day.

Harry looked down at his watch for what must have been the 10th time and ground his teeth. Of course you never had enough time to prepare for something important, but when you are desperate to get to a certain time, whether it be the end of a class or the time agreed upon to commit a capital offense, time moved too slowly. He started absently tapping the edge of his watch in order to stop himself from looking at it again. This tactic only worked for two minutes.

"Harry, you must have checked your watch 5 times in the last 5 minutes," Hermione said, sitting across from him. "Is there something you are waiting for?"

"Nothing to worry about," Harry said. He was almost proud of the nonchalance of his answer to Hermione. Stress might be tightening his muscles, but he was laser focused on the task ahead. Enough of his mind was unoccupied to answer Hermione like nothing was wrong.

"Are you sure?" Harry nodded at Hermione's inquiry.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

Hermione was instantly on high alert. After that tense nod, the so-called brightest witch in Hogwarts was sure something was wrong. To most people, Harry's answer might seem totally normal. To his friends who noticed Harry was a little stressed, that could be attributed to the fact his date to the most romantic night of the year had fled the hall in near tears, something that was sure to be talked about in the newspaper when it arrived.

But Hermione was not some friend. What's more, if Harry had been stressed about the outcome of his night with Fleur, it would not take 12 hours for that to manifest. It would have come up last night. Not to mention that Fleur's close friend Susan Bones had been at their little midnight pow-wow about Sirius and hadn't said a word or even shot an attempted secret look at Harry.

No, his stress was not about whatever happened with Fleur, something Hermione was determined to get to the bottom of. But she knew all of Harry's looks. It was an occupational hazard of being the person who got dragged into all of his adventures and rule breaking for 3 years. The look on his face might be mistaken for unfocused, and in past years Hermione might have jumped to that conclusion.

But the Harry who had arrived this year at Hogwarts was a different person. He was very rarely carefree even if his general demeanor and speech pattern was more lighthearted. It was part of why his friend group had expanded so dramatically at an extremely quick rate, which Hermione was of two minds about. Last year's Harry would have been distracted. The current version of Harry did this to clear his mind, to reach the lake in his mind Harry had told her about.

When she had talked to Harry in depth about his training after seeing his first and only spar with Akira, she had shot down the idea of joining him in his training and learning to fight. One punch with Malfoy last year was more than enough to know that she did not enjoy combat that did not involve wands. She wasn't even a huge fan of the offensive magic she and Harry's grandmother were teaching her best friend in their study sessions in the name of tournament preparation. After a few days of pressing, Harry had talked about aspects of training beyond breaking someone's nose.

What fascinated Hermione more than anything else was the quiet mind technique that Harry had learned in order to concentrate and keep people out of his mind. His conviction around the fact the certainly Professor Snape and potentially Dumbledore would try to read his mind seemed like classic Harry paranoia, even if in the past almost all his paranoia turned out to be well-founded. But she saw the value of learning how to reach that calm state. Unfortunately, Harry struggled when attempting to teach her that, and Hermione had rashly declared she could handle it herself, which had gone even worse than when Harry had tried to teach her.

But she had spent enough time with Harry to recognize when he was heading towards that state. She had seen it with him when he trained, both with his body and his wand. She had seen him head there when he was overwhelmed by everything on his plate and just needed a few minutes to be alone with his thoughts before refocusing on whatever task was ahead of him. And now, all the signs were present. Harry was not distracted or absent-minded. He was becoming focused.

There was no one nearby who could read his mind, that was a guarantee. According to Harry passive mind reading, the proper name of which was legilimency needed eye contact. The only thing Harry had looked at since arriving at breakfast was his plate, his shoes, and more recently the occasional staring contest his watch. His current insistence with knowing what time it was suggested he wasn't trying to clear his mind.

That left only one possible conclusion. Harry was getting focused, and the focus was so important that he had to go a state of mind that ignored everything else. Hermione knew her deductions were likely correct, especially when she added in the fact that Harry had not asked a single person about how their night was. He had been instrumental in arranging quite a few dates and had given advice once the dates were arranged in making sure they went well. But now he apparently couldn't care less.

Harry's period of intense focus and seeming absent-mindedness tended to coincide with his most impressive acts this year. He had the look of someone with his mind totally elsewhere on his face as he weaved around the tail of a dragon. During the two spars where Cedric had demanded Harry fight with everything he had, which had ended with Cedric being knocked unconscious in under 20 second each time, there was no emotion on Harry's face. The only event on Harry's calendar to Hermione's knowledge was their little "late Christmas get together" on New Year's and even if Harry was in a rush to get presents, which supposedly he had gotten earlier that month, that wouldn't require the level of focus he was heading to.

She glanced at Harry, who was now looking into empty space. Apparently his shoe, breakfast, and watch were too stimulating. Now the only thing that could captivate his interest was nothing. Hermione was now 100% sure that Harry was getting ready for something. But only knowing half of the situation was not satisfying for Hermione. If Harry was getting ready for battle, why wouldn't he include his best friend?

It hit her like a thunderbolt. Hermione knew that if the word battle hadn't entered her subconsciousness, she never would have realized it. Whenever Harry ended up on a path that was dangerous, whether it was going after the sorcerer's stone, going into the chamber of secrets, or chasing down a supposed murderer, he never asked people to come along with him. She and Ron had to force Harry to take them along. There was only one thing at this moment that was truly dangerous, and it was in keeping with everything she knew about Harry. Harry was going to try and break Sirius out.

Last year, Hermione had helped break Sirius out because there was no way they could be caught. It helped that Dumbledore had essentially given them permission. There was no risk, and as it turned out, it had already happened due to Harry's Patronus, though the intricacies of time travel were even trickier than prophecy. But now she had enough information to know it was very different.

Last year, the people who knew Sirius was locked up were almost entirely friendly. The only person who had really seen Sirius with their own eyes who believed he was guilty was Snape, and he was an unpleasant surprise. Snape might have told Fudge about Sirius, but by the time more people were involved, Sirius was already free. That meant that his escape did not have that many people invested in the situation willing to believe the lie Snape had come up with. In Snape's defense, he was unconscious when Professor Lupin had forced Pettigrew into his human form.

But now there were multiple witnesses, including the head of the DMLE, and it wasn't like Harry could obliviate them all. Even if he somehow acquired a time turner, which she suspected would be impossible, Sirius had been captured shortly after midnight, and Harry obsession with the time meant she knew that it was just about 9am. Croaker's law meant that the 8 hours that Harry would have to travel back to save his godfather would be too dangerous, though she doubted Harry knew that law. Knowing his stupid desire to save people, Harry would probably accept the risk to himself to save Sirius.

According to Susan, Sirius was being kept under lock and key by multiple aurors. While it was hypothetically possible that Harry could take out a few aurors, he was too smart to risk his godfather's freedom on the off-chance that he could handle it on his own. The fact that he had not spoken to her or Neville was indicative of the fact that he, like always, would never ask for help in his dangerous endeavors. But she remembered that when she had headed upstairs to sleep, the twins had been talking to Harry, and she vaguely remembered Daphne and Krum not following the other student out of the Gryffindor common room. It made the placement of the twins at breakfast, on either side of Harry and nowhere near their year mates and dates at the far end of the table, even more suspicious.

For a moment, Hermione debated helping Harry to free Sirius. But she quickly dismissed that idea. It was one thing to go along with Harry to stop Voldemort. It was another thing entirely to commit a clear and obvious crime. This wasn't about house points, it was about the law. Even if Sirius was innocent, she could not show reckless disregard for the law. Susan had said she would get the kiss on sight order cancelled. Sirius would get his day in court and could be proven innocent.

If Harry actually got in a fight with the protective detail on Sirius, then it would ruin any chances he had on getting free in a legal way. As she rose, Hermione knew she was heading down an all too similar road. She was going to do something that would make Harry furious even if it was for his own good. It was the case of the firebolt all over again. She would stop Harry from doing something stupid and would have to pray it did not cost her his friendship.

She couldn't do it alone. It would be downright dangerous to take on Harry even if he was alone. But there were some people who would see the wisdom in her thinking, who understood the political ramifications of what Harry was doing, people who would help her make Harry see reason in a way that he couldn't with the firebolt. One of those people was two seats away.

Neville Longbottom was holding hands with his girlfriend, which made her hesitate, but not for long. Hermione looked at Hannah and then ignored her, tapping Neville on the shoulder. Her friend turned around, surprise on his face as he recognized Hermione.

"Hey Hermione? Do you mind giving me a minute?"

"Sorry, Neville, I need you to come with me." Neville clearly saw something on her face because he kissed Hannah on the cheek and jumped out of her seat. If Hermione was being honest, she was bringing Neville because he could get through to Harry. In case things got a little nasty before the aurors could respond, she needed firepower. It was with severe trepidation that she made her way over to the Hufflepuff table.

"Hey Hermione," Jason said as she parked right next to him. "Cedric, you might want to turn around." Cedric, sitting next to Jason, obliged his friend' request and saw Hermione. He blushed and looked away, and Hermione fought the same reaction. It was hard to see him at this exact moment and normally Hermione would have stayed away. If it was for anyone but Harry, she would not have touched this situation with a 10-foot pole.

Cedric's embarrassment was not surprising. After what had been an enchanting evening in which

Hermione had fully realized that Cedric's attention towards her was because he was actually interested in her as more than a friend, she had allowed him to escort her back to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. She was a little reluctant to say goodnight, and Cedric had taken the opportunity to kiss her.

It was not a full-on snog like she had seen with some of the older students who had no real boundaries, but it was more than a simple peck. Hermione knew that she had enjoyed it a lot. His arms were starting to go around her, which she did not object to in the slightest and Hermione had no idea what might have happened if they had not heard the tramp of feet coming down the corner. They sprang apart as Harry, Susan, and a few more people went into the common room and eventually Harry's entire friend group arrived to hear the discussion about Sirius.

She would have preferred a private setting to talk to Cedric again. Of course, she could have come over to the table earlier and asked to talk to him alone, but he might get the wrong idea about that and the last thing Hermione wanted to do was ruin her relationship with him, whatever that relationship might be or become. But she needed his strength to slow Harry down if he was fully committed to this self-destructive path.

"Cedric, can you come with Neville and me?" Hermione asked. She turned to look at her fellow Gryffindor and saw Hannah had followed them. "Hannah, I assume you are not letting this drop?" Hannah shook her head. "Ok then."

"Of course," Cedric said, getting up. "I was going to see if we could have a chance to chat later today, if that is ok."

"Let's get through today first, but yeah, in the near future," Hermione told him. At that statement Jason also rose from the table. Hermione was sorely tempted, but she didn't need people outside of the immediate circle of friends around Harry getting involved, and if was not for Neville's relationship with Hannah Hermione would stun her the moment they left the hall. "It's ok Jason."

"That comment sounded like you might not bring Cedric back in one piece," Jason replied. "I've always got my best friend's back. Whatever you are doing, I am in too."

"Fine." Hermione led the small group out of the great hall and cast the tempus charm. If Harry was going to try and break Sirius out, he would probably try to do it right after the students departed on the 9:00pm train, even though most of the students were not returning home. Her charm showed her it was 8:55, so she started to hurry up the stairs. When she reached the 5th floor she turned to survey the people with her.

Neville looked a little nervous, as did his girlfriend. That was understandable, and Hermione hoped Neville could grow a backbone to stand up to Harry and try and talk him down. Cedric was nervous as well, but Hermione surmised that his nerves were probably due to the uncertain status between the two of them. He was a tri-wizard champion because he could fight, and she had no doubt Jason would indeed have his back. To her surprise, she saw they had picked up a 5th student.

"Luna?" Hermione asked, and everyone turned to see Luna Lovegood staring at the floor behind Hermione. "What are you doing here?"

"The Wrackspurts in the hall were going crazy when you walked out. I assume it has something to do with the Blibbering Humdingers all around Harry this morning," Luna stated as if the two sentences she had just uttered were totally normal. Hermione took a deep breath. After what might be classified as a verbal attack on the Ravenclaw girl on her supposed creatures, Harry had given her an explicit demand that she never make fun of Luna, no matter what she said. Given her current situation, it took all of Hermione's self-control to not snap at Luna.

"Sure," Hermione said. This was not the time to deal with Luna's bizarre made up creatures. "I guess you are all wondering why I yanked you out of breakfast this morning."

"The thought crossed my mind," Hannah said.

"Jason, Luna, I hope you weren't planning on catching the train because this might run us past 9."

"Not me," Jason said and Luna bobbed her head, which Hermione hoped meant she was staying too.

"Ok, what is going on?" Hannah asked.

"Well, remember how Susan was telling us all that her aunt caught Sirius Black last night?"

"Yeah, she told Harry because Sirius Black tried to kill him all of last year," Hannah said. "I assume Harry is relieved."

"It is more complicated than that, but Sirius is actually not trying to kill Harry. I can't say much, but I'm fairly confident Harry is coming up the stairs and is planning to bust Sirius out. We are going to stop him from doing something so stupid."

"We are going to fight Harry?" Neville said, his face paling.

"First, we are going to try talking," Hermione said. "But if it comes down to it, I guess. All we need to do is hold him up for two minutes. That's how long it will take a few professors to arrive."

"Hermione?" Hermione looked down the steps and saw exactly what she had most feared. Her group backed up as Harry, Fred and George, Daphne, and Victor Krum crested the stairs to step onto the 5th floor platform. The two groups now faced each other, tension running through every person. "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same thing," Hermione said, subtly palming her wand. If it did come to a fight, her only chance would be to get some shots in before the others expected it. "Harry, don't tell me you are planning something stupid."

"Hermione, I really don't have time for this," Harry said, trying to move past her. Hermione planted herself in his way. "Hermione, move!" Harry barked.

"No," Hermione said, meeting his eyes with her. "This is totally mad. This is time to trust your friends. Trust Susan to get the kiss on sight order cancelled. Trust your other friends to make sure Sirius gets a fair hearing in court."

"Harry, please tell me you are not planning on taking on fully trained aurors," Neville said.

"I wouldn't be going down this path if I wasn't confident this would go well," Harry said. "So get out of my way, or I will go through you." Both parties of 5 had their wands out.

"Fine," Hermione said. This was going sideways fast. She raised her wand and quite clearly put it away. "Go through me. I won't stop you, but I won't get out of your way,"

"Hermione, don't make me," Harry said.

"Me too," Neville said. Hermione noticed he didn't put his wand away, but he lowered it. "If our friendship really doesn't mean anything to you, then go ahead." Hermione saw the struggle on Harry's face, and there were tears in his eyes. He raised his wand, looked Hermione in the eyes.

"I have to save him," Harry pleaded.

"Then trust us to do it, but we will do it the right way," Hermione said. "Believe in your friends." Harry sighed and lowered his wand.

"Stupefy! Incarcerous!" Hermione heard, and Cedric and Jason crashed to the ground. But none of Harry's group had fired the spell. Hermione turned and saw Luna aiming her wand at her. "Stupefy!" Hermione couldn't dodge the spell from close range, and she slid to the floor, her vision going dark.

"Luna!" Neville cried, and he was hit by a stunner from one of the twins. The other fired a tripping jinx at Hannah, which she dodged, only to be hit by a binding spell from Daphne.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, taking a second to stun the still conscious Hannah and Jason.

"Helping you save Stubby Boardman," Luna said. There was a small smile on her face, and then it seemed like she was miles away. "Harry," Luna said, her face becoming deadly serious. "You need to go, and quickly. The minister just arrived, and he is not alone."

"Remus!" Harry called, and the ex-defense professor whipped the invisibility cloak off. "Stall them?" Remus nodded, and Harry headed down the hallway. He stopped at the door he knew Sirius was behind and took a deep breath. "All ready?"

To Harry's surprise, the plan actually went even better than expected. He managed to get a few steps into the room before the aurors were able to fire, and he leapt over the stunners, clearing Sirius with his leap. As he landed, he saw the aurors on the far side of the room crumple. He rolled to his left, his wand jumping into his hand and with a vicious quickly stab of his wand and cry of "Stupefy!" another auror went down. He saw the twins engaging the last auror standing, and then Krum hit him with a tripping spell, allowing one of the twins to stun him.

"Harry?" Sirius cried in surprise as Harry directed Krum to the chains. The Bulgarian fired a spell at the chains, and one of them broke. Krum swore and aimed his wand at another chain. "Just reach into my sock," Sirius told him, and Harry reached in, and came out holding a knife. "Just stick it into the locks." Harry followed his godfather's instructions and was surprise when the lock fell apart. Harry quickly did it to the two remaining chains, and Sirius was free. Sirius gave Harry a big hug and drew his wand from his other sock.

"We have to go, now!" Harry told his godfather. "That happened so quickly I don't even know if the aurors will recognize us. Come on!"

Remus heard the noise from the room from behind him and readied his wand. He was not surprised to see Amelia Bones enter the corridor alone. They just gave a small grin and bow to each other.

"Remus Lupin, I hope that is not you" Madam Bones asked, even though Remus knew she knew the answer. "My niece has only said nice things about your teaching last year. I had hoped you would not be drawn back into Sirius's orbit."

"It is nice to see you to Amelia, We both know he is innocent," Remus told her.

"Then it will come out in court, not in this hallway."

"Perhaps if you were minister. I will not trust my best friend to Fudge," Remus said. Amelia drew her wand in response to that.

There was no need for words anymore. They both knew what was going to happen. Amelia took the first move, firing a few simple hexes at Remus. The werewolf contemptuously batted the spells away. They were simply testing spells, to see if Remus was committed to his course of action. The head of the DMLE scaled up the speed of her spells and started to add some dangerous attacks.

Remus ducked under a bone-breaker and met a binding spell with a shield. He had to fire back, or he would be overwhelmed by Amelia's casting strength. He batted away a stunner and fired a flipping spell back at her. Amelia just swayed and fired back forcing Remus to throw up a powerful shield.

Remus was sweating as Amelia pressed her advantage. He tried to dodge a flurry of spells but Amelia was too fast and efficient. There was no wasted movement and her spells were bunched tightly, giving him no opening. Remus dipped into his bag of tricks and summoned a group of birds who distracted Amelia for a moment. He spun out from behind his improvised spell and threw a spell at Amelia he knew she wouldn't know.

Remus had learned the spell in America, from an athlete no less. He had helped the athlete banish a nefarious spirit and it was one of his hidden tricks. It was a fast green jet and looked an awful lot like the killing curse. It was impossible to cast the killing curse silently, but any law enforcement official would automatically dive out of the way. But Amelia was faster than Remus anticipated, rolling out of her dive and regaining the offensive with two blasting spells that Remus had to shield from

The spells were flying fast and furious, and Remus realized if he didn't try something unexpected he would be overwhelmed within seconds. So he switched wand hands and threw out three high powered stunners. He wasn't surprised to see Amelia deflect two and shield from the third. He had expected it.

It had taken Remus the entire summer to regain any of his old karate skill, but spending time with Takashi and Harry this summer had encouraged him to start from scratch. He could not match Harry's natural skill or growth due to his younger age, but Remus was no longer just a wizard, and had the heightened speed of and strength of a werewolf. This was his advantage against a stronger spellcaster.

Remus slid past two of Amelia's spells and rotated his entire body, throwing his entire weight into the punch that smashed into Amelia, sending her down the hall in a heap. Remus sent a silent prayer for her safety but suspected when she regained consciousness Amelia would be more annoyed than hurt. Then he felt the room start to get cold. He looked curiously at Amelia, and saw she was still unconscious. Then the hall began to lower in temperature. It wouldn't make sense for her to be casting a cooling spell in any sense. With a horrible feeling Remus realized what the feeling was.

Harry and Sirius watched on in awe as Remus and Amelia dueled knowing that an interruption could hurt Remus as much as Amelia. Remus sent Amelia flying with well placed blow, and he slumped against the wall in exhaustion. Then Harry felt cold all of the sudden. He saw the black shapes floating towards him and cursed. He aimed his wand down the corridor and searched his mind. For a moment, he heard the cry of his mom, but then he found something, and yelled "Expecto Patronum!"

Prongs burst out into the hallway, running faster than Harry had ever seen him before. It was not his strongest Patronus, and Prongs was only partially solid, but Harry saw his stag drive the dementors away, and he staggered from the force of the spell. The last thing he needed was exhaustion, but Harry couldn't help as he crashed to the ground.

"Harry!" Daphne cried out, rushing over to him. "Please be ok!" Harry gave her a small smile as she helped him to his feet. "Don't scare us like that?"

"Harry are you ok?" The twins asked at the same time. Harry nodded as he got to his feet, and he blinked a few times as he looked down the corner. Remus had his wand out was retreating, and Harry paled as he saw Minister Fudge accompanied by at least 10 other wizards who had their wands trained on Harry's group.

"What is going on?" an older man said. Harry's shoulder's slumped. The only way out would be to take the blame himself. He saw Dumbledore talking to Fudge while the minister shook his head vehemently. "Criminal trying to escape!"

"Hey Harry," Akira said, gliding past all of the personnel in the corridor. "Catch." Akira was holding something in his hand, and as he drew back his hand to throw it, Harry saw the slightest shake of his head from Akira, as well as a hand signal from his free hand. Harry recognized the signal as a sign to not move. So Harry stayed stationary as the small cup sailed over his hand and into the hand of his godfather. The air around Sirius seemed to pulse, and then with a loud crack Sirius was gone. "Oops."

"What the hell was that?" The older man said said, drawing his wand on Akira. Akira looked disdainfully at the man and without moving sent his wand skittering down the corridor.

"Well, I was going to go talk to Harry elsewhere, so I tried to toss him a portkey," Akira said. "I tossed it too hard. My apologies." Akira didn't look remorseful in the slightest.

"A portkey!" Fudge snarled, coming forward. "Where is the portkey too? We can still follow him and arrest the criminal."

"Well, I wouldn't advise that," Akira said with a half smile.

"You will tell me where that portkey, right now!" Fudge shouted, drawing his wand. A few of the other aurors were looked around, extremely confused.

"If you insist. That was an emergency portkey my father made for me and Harry. When it activates, it takes anyone who is holding it to the Japanese embassy in London. Feel free to go, but it would be classified as an invasion of Japanese territory. That would be a very bad idea."

"An embassy!" The old lion yelled. "Who could create a portkey that goes through the wards of Hogwarts and into an embassy?"

"My father," Akira said simply, still incredibly calm. "You may have heard of him. Takashi Hayashi. He works for the Asian ministry."

"Some halfwit Asian?" Fudge snapped. In an instant, Akira had his wand right another Fudge's chin, and all the aurors trained their wands at Akira.

"I'll allow that once," Akira said, his voice now lower and promising violence. "Insult my father again, and I will cut you open."

"Takashi Hayashi?" Amelia Bones asked rising from the floor. Akira gave a small nod. "You mean to tell me your father is the current Head of Magical Martial Instruction for Asia?"

"Last time I checked," Akira said, lowering his wand.

"Minister!" Amelia hissed. "Lower your wand and apologize. You just insulted the son of one of the most dangerous men in the world. We do not want to cross him."

"I do not apologize," The minster started to say, and then Amelia drew her wand and pointed at her boss.

"Minister, if you do not apologize, I will stun you. You do not want this man as your enemy, trust me. Please," Amelia was almost begging.

"Fine," Cornelius Fudge said, "I apologize." It was clear to everyone that the apology was insincere, but it satisfied Akira enough to let the situation diffuse. "Now bring that criminal back. But we will discuss your insubordinate attitude later, Amelia."

"Yeah, no can do," Akira said. "That was a one-way portkey. Besides, the Japanese ministry does not have an extradition treaty to Britain. So we don't have to do anything for you. What's more, to my knowledge, Sirius Black was never convicted of a crime."

"That's preposterous!" Fudge shouted.

"I told you that last year!" Harry cried.

"Harry," Akira said, a warning in his voice, Harry instantly stepped back. "Feel free to look up Sirius Black's court records. In the meantime, I would be happy to submit a request to the ambassador for your desire to talk to the new occupant."

"I would like to speak to the criminal tomorrow," Fudge said.

"Well, that's not possible," Akira said. "The ambassador is a busy man. I would be happy to fast track your request. You should be able to see him in 4 to 6 business weeks."

"I can't see him until February!" Fudge was livid.

"March," Akira corrected. "The ambassador will be returning to Japan on holiday to visit his family starting tomorrow. He will return in the middle of January. I said business weeks"

"You are serious?" Amelia asked. Akira nodded. To everyone's surprise, Amelia starting laughing. "Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. I haven't seen your father in years. Give him my best."

"Of course," Akira said, stepping forward and shaking her hand.

"Mr. Potter, I would still like to see you tomorrow night." Amelia called as she turned to leave. "Let's say 7 pm sharp?"

"What are you doing?" Minister Fudge screamed as Amelia walked away.

"Going back to the room Dumbledore gave me," Amelia said. "Nothing I can do, Minister. We can't touch him, and I'm not about to make an enemy of a man who could dissemble my entire auror force on his own. If you want Sirius Black, you will have to do it without me for the time being. I plan to go investigate the claim that he was never charged of a crime after the holidays.

"This is preposterous!" Fudge yelled.

"No," Akira said. "This is the time to walk away."

"Indeed," Harry said stepping forward. "I got this."

"Ok," Akira said, strolling away. "We will be discussing this later." Harry shuddered a bit at that. Akira was almost certain to rip into him later. That would not be pleasant.

"Minister Fudge, you are now insulting the house of Potter," Harry stated. "I am Lord Potter, and you are dangerously close at making me your enemy. You do not want that. Back away, and I will avoid declaring a blood feud against you."

"You wouldn't dare!" Fudge claimed.

"Try me," Harry said.

"Then I'll take you down," the old lion said. Most of the aurors were gone now, having left with Amelia but two remained, standing right behind him. "I'll take you right now for helping an escaped fugitive."

"You are?" Harry said, trying to appear unconcerned.

"Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the aurors," the old man spat.

"That's nice to hear," Harry said. "Last time I checked the Potter family gave an annual stipend to the auror fund. If I went to jail, I guess that would have to stop. It wouldn't do for a criminal to be giving money to the ministry. I'm not Lucius Malfoy."

"Now listen here," Fudge started to say.

"I have to say, I'm interested to learn more," Cedric said, limping towards Harry. "And I would also like the chance to talk to Lord Potter about this. But for now, The House of Diggory will stand with him. I will be contacting my father about all of this."

"As will House Greengrass, after I get in touch with my father," Daphne added. Fudge glared at Daphne, but Harry saw the wheels turning in his head. It was one thing to make an enemy of Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory, but making enemies with one of the Sacred 28 was not something he could afford to do. After a quick whispered conference with his head of aurors, Fudge whirled and walked away. "Good call."

Harry sank to the floor, tension leaving his body. That had been some of the longest 20 minutes of his life. He couldn't believe his bluff had worked. He was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

"I can't really get mad at you," Cedric said, "seeing as you didn't actually stun me. I'd still like an explanation later."

"Later," Harry agreed. He groaned as he got to his feet.

"Harry," Luna said, walking up to him. "Is Stubby Boardman safe?"

"Who is Stubby Boardman?" Harry asked. "I meant to ask earlier, but like you said, I was in a hurry."

"The lead singer of the Hobgoblins," Luna explained. "The man you rescued."

"I don't know I'll have the energy to unpack this until tomorrow," Harry said. "But I guess." Luna smiled and waltzed away. Krum gave a half nod to Harry and walked away, seemingly following Luna. Harry's eyes narrowed at the mismatched couple, but he simply didn't have time for that. "Why don't you bring everyone around to the Gryffindor common room tonight?"

"You don't want to go back and have a full breakfast?" Cedric asked.

"I have to get the snot beaten out of me by Akira," Harry said. "But I'll see you later."


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

Chapter 36: Dinner for four

December, 1994

"I wouldn't be overly nervous," Harry told Lupin as the ex-defense professor straightened his robes for the umpteenth time. "I think she is more interested than mad. She was willing to back down pretty quickly once it was clear she couldn't follow Sirius."

"I still can't believe he did the one thing that I expressly told him not to do," Remus told Harry. "He is so mindless sometimes."

"Look, I'm less than pleased that Sirius decided to go talk to the head of the DMLE, even if she is his true love" Harry said. "But he is nothing if not stubborn. Maybe one day he will act like a rational adult, but now that it has all shook out ok I'm not mad."

"Really?"

"No," Harry snarled. "Apparently it went well enough for Sirius to be able to reconnect with his lost love, and she seemed reluctant to really chase him down. But I'm still mad at him. She will need to know some things to keep him safe, and I had no intention of doing that. Sirius forced my hand."

"You are going to tell her the entire truth?" Remus asked.

"Well, the entire truth is a tricky thing," Harry said. "I'm not planning on lying or misleading her, but as it has been pointed out to me recently, I have a lot of secrets. Certain things have to stay hidden."

"Of course," Remus said, and Harry patted him on the back. "I do hope you reconsider your desire to keep the headmaster out of the loop."

"That wasn't entirely my decision," Harry explained. "He knows all he needs to about Sirius, and if he wanted to, he could free him. He's the chief warlock as the Wizengamot. For whatever reason, he won't do it. He knows as much as he needs to know. When I came back here, my teachers were quite insistent that he not learn anything about a variety of things that happened this summer. I doubt he would be willing to use active legilimency on me, and without that he won't ever learn the important stuff."

"What are you really worried about?" Remus asked.

"Well, he knows that I didn't spend a lot of time at the Dursley's," Harry said. "But he doesn't know that they are not my legal guardians, and that Hayashi-Sensei started the legal proceedings to have him replaced as my magical guardian, as well as the adoption process. Besides," Harry continued, "there are a few things that you don't know either."

"Is there someone who knows everything?" Remus said.

"Well, I think Hermione knows almost everything, as far as classmates goes," Harry said. "Akira knows a little more, but even he doesn't know what the biggest secret is… probably."

"So no one knows everything?" Remus said with a laugh as he knocked on the door they had been standing in front of for the last 10 minutes.

"I guess not," Harry said. "Well, my secret master knows all the important stuff."

"The guy I wasn't allowed to meet this summer when I visited with Takashi?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Harry said as he nodded his head at the question. "He spent a lot of time training me on my occlumency and spent a lot of time in my mind, so he knows just about everything. He just doesn't care all that much about things he deems unimportant, and the entirety of the "Dark Wizard" issue the U.K. has doesn't bother him in the slightest."

"That's a narrow view to take," Remus commented.

"I don't know how strong Voldemort is," Harry noted. "But I am 100% confident that if Hayashi-Sensei got involved, there would only be one winner, and his name isn't Voldermort. My other master would end it before you blinked. He's… special."

"He's another genius?" Remus asked. Harry frowned a little, and Remus laughed at Harry's expression. "You forget, I did train with Takashi a little bit myself. I am well aware of his clarifications."

"No, I remember," Harry said, his frown deepening. "But no, he isn't a genius. He doesn't really fit classifications. I guess some people might call him a natural, but even Hayashi-Sensei says he is a talent you see only once in a generation. People like him don't live in the same world as the rest of us."

"Before we go in, might I ask a question and beg a favor?"

"Go ahead." Harry seemed curious, which Remus thought was a good thing.

"For the favor, I ask you not get too mad at Hermione."

"I'm not." Remus was surprised at that. "Hermione has always believed in justice, authority figures, and the system. She is doing what she does because she cares for me. Don't forget there was a real chance I ended up hurt or in Azkaban. Besides, she already helped me break **all **the laws last year. I'd like to give her at least until the end of the year to have to do that again." Remus chuckled at that. "What's your question?"

"Akira was the one that actually bailed you out and got Sirius out. Why not ask him to be your adult support? Not that I am not honored by your trust in me."

"Honestly? Akira wasn't supposed to be here. I was under the impression that Akira was in Japan. I guess he heard the news and knows me better than I know myself. He is back in Tokyo now, after kicking my ass two days straight." Remus nodded ruefully. "Good enough?"

"Yes thank you Harry."

"You are welcome Remus." Harry knocked on the door and heard steps behind the door. "Remus, your collar is askew!" Remus grabbed his robe and tried to adjust it as the door opened. "Hi Susan!"

"Hi Harry!" Susan said, giving him a brief hug. "Thanks for coming?"

"I was really pleased by the invitation," Harry said with a smile. "Oh Remus, your collar is fine." He walked past Susan whistling a little. Remus grinned as he stepped in. Harry saw Remus's nose twitch. "Something interesting?" he whispered to the older man.

"Apparently Sirius did some serious reconciling with Susan's aunt," Remus murmured. Harry had to hide a grin.

"Mr. Potter!" Madam Bones said as she stepped forward. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Susan has said you have been the center of a lot this year."

"Susan has been just as important," Harry said, shaking the woman's extended hand. "She was the person who finally convinced Fleur to join our champions alliance."

"Yes, I've heard about that," Madam Bones said. "I also understand that despite your relationship with my niece, you went to the ball with Ms. Delacour."

"Auntie!" Susan protested.

"I am well aware that you two are not a couple," Amelia said with a wry smile. Harry had blushed bright red and had been unable to meet her eye. That was the reaction of a boy who was saw her niece as a girl, not one that was currently dating a Veela who her niece as described as "goddess-like".

"Auntie!" Susan almost shouted.

"I hope you understand why we concocted the lie," Harry said as his blush disappeared.

"I do understand, and now that we have that out of the way," Amelia said, indicating the spread behind her, "I hope we can enjoy a nice holiday meal."

"I have to ask," Remus said as they all sat down, "are you here today as Madam Bones, head of the DMLE, or Amelia Bones, an old acquaintance?"

"Mr. Lupin, it is the holidays," Amelia said with a smile. "I will not be working until after New Year's day. I am happy that although my niece is not coming home, I get to see her and spend some time with her." Susan blushed at that statement as her aunt smiled fondly at her. Harry laughed a little at that, but the laugh sounded hollow.

"Then it must be Remus," the ex-defense professor said. "I believe the woman I am speaking to is quite close to my best friend."

"Oh, that would be an understatement," Amelia said as the first course appeared on the table. "I assume you mean that Sirius is your best friend?" Remus nodded. "Well, I wouldn't say we are quite close. I would be willing to admit that Sirius is the love of my life, and if he is innocent I will force him to marry me sooner rather than later." Harry and Remus who were both drinking choked at that statement.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Susan exclaimed. "You still love him, after all this time?"

"It was stupid for him to come and see me, but the moment I saw him, the moment he touched me, it all came flooding back," Amelia said with a half-smile. "If you are willing to believe that there is one person everyone is destined to be, Harry's Godfather is it for me. I'll wait as long as I need to and do whatever needs to be done to be with him, if he is truly innocent."

"He is," Harry told her.

"So what actually happened that night?" Amelia asked. Harry looked at Remus, and the older man simply shrugged.

"Well, it turns out that Sirius was not the secret keeper for the Potters," Harry said, starting the remarkable story of Sirius Black. Remus chipped in with details when necessary. The story took longer than when he had told Susan as Madam Bones had more than a few questions. She was delighted to learn how Sirius escaped so that future prisoners could not. Madam Bones was very forthright that she did not like that the ministry used dementors, so Harry relented and told her about the special effects his Patronus had. That development took them deep into the main course.

"So the Japanese Embassy?" Amelia finally asked as desert arrived. "I don't believe that for a second. Even if Akira is indeed the son of the famous Takashi Hayashi, there is no way a portkey could penetrate the wards of an embassy."

"Well, he actually does have a portkey that will take him to the embassy," Harry said. "But I feel fine telling the off-duty Amelia Bones that Sirius is not in that embassy. My original plan was to get him out of here the same way he came in."

"With his hippogriff?" Susan asked. Amelia raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"No, I changed Buckbeak's color and let him free," Remus explained

Sorry Auntie, that's a whole other story, and it's really not why Harry is here," Susan reminded her.

"You are correct," Amelia said. "So, not in the embassy?"

"Not in Britain," Harry said. "Turns out the moment he got captured, Akira was planning on me doing something stupid and trying to break him out. He was still furious at me. Kicked my ass for a few hours yesterday."

"Harry, a professor physically beat you?" Madam Bones asked, her eyes twitching at that revelation.

"Well, I did deserve it," Harry commented. "And he didn't do it as his role as a professor at Hogwarts. He did it as my mentor and brother."

"Still, there is no excuse for an adult to hit a child," Amelia countered.

"First of all, I am legally an adult," Harry said. "Second, if you were training Susan, would you never hit her with a spell if she conducted a poor defense?"

"That's different," the head of the DMLE said.

"Why?" Harry asked. "If my defensive skills were better, it wouldn't matter when Akira I and I fight. I get closer to beating him every week. He has to fight at 80% strength to ensure his victories. We started the year at 50%, so that's really good progress. Until I can stop Akira from landing shots on me, it's an abject lesson in spell casting and fighting."

"We will get back to Sirius in a minute," Amelia said. "From what my niece tells me, you stayed with and trained with Takashi Hayashi this summer."

"Well, he is one of two masters I had this summer." All three people leaned in at this. Most of Harry's friends knew he had been taught by two people, and Harry had very intentionally avoided naming the second one, even if the name would have meant nothing. It was important that the older students, especially those with parents working for the government did not hear the name.

"Are you going to tell us the name of the other one?" Susan asked after a minute's silence. "We could swear an oath to not divulge his name."

"Look, I really don't like it when people swear on their magic. I think it's easy to figure out a way around an oath, and who knows what might happen in the future? It's not safe for my master's name to be floating around in your head."

"Can you at least tell me if I need to be worried about his presence in our country?" Amelia asked.

"Oh, he left. He came this summer at Hayashi-Sensei's request. He was around when Voldemort was still alive," Harry frowned as he saw all three of his dinner companions flinched at the name, "and even though he was 21 at the time, the consensus among his peers is that if he had faced Voldemort the night before he attacked me and was so inclined to fight him, I wouldn't have this scar."

"So inclined?"

"Well, he is a curious guy. Very little interests him, and it's possible that he wouldn't consider Voldemort a worthy opponent. He is a very powerful wizard, probably beyond the level of Dumbledore. But he is a transcendent talent with magical martial arts, and according to Hayashi-Sensei the way he blends martials arts and magic is at a level that has rarely been accomplished."

"Look, is he dangerous or not?" Amelia asked, clearly annoyed.

"No, you don't need to worry about him," Harry said. "He couldn't care less about what is going on in Britain. I think the last time he took an active role in shaping world events he was in the muggle world, and most wizards wouldn't understand the events he gets involved in."

"I tend to be more informed than normal," Amelia said. "It's an occupational hazard. What did he do?"

"Well, are you familiar with the Berlin wall?" Amelia nodded.

"I'm not, and I'm in muggle studies," Susan said.

"I've seen the textbook," Harry commented. "You should drop the class next year. Dean and I could probably teach you more useful knowledge in an afternoon. I hear it's an easy Exceeds or Outstanding, though I figure your parental figure would prefer you learn more at the expense of grades." Susan blushed a little, but nodded in understanding "Well, the last time he got involved in the world at large, he helped bring down the wall."

"That's terrifying," Amelia admitted.

"He tends to go overboard," Harry explained. "That wasn't his intention, but things spiraled out of control and he figured it might be worthwhile to end communism. Like I said, transcendent talent."

"But I shouldn't be worried?" Harry just grinned at Amelia's inquiry. "Ok, on to other issues then."

"Where Sirius is, you mean?"

"I would appreciate knowing, just to make sure he is safe."

"Well, as it turns out your niece was indirectly responsible for Sirius safety," Harry said. The two adults in the room turned to look as Susan, who looked as confused as them.

"What?" Susan asked.

"Well, you were the one who introduced me to Fleur," Harry said. "As it turns out, Hayashi-San is familiar with her father. So while Hayashi-San would not approve of the special portkey being used for a family member he is not related too, he was okay providing a portkey that sends the user to Chateau Delacour." Amelia and Susan looked at him in shock, and Remus who had been keyed in last night had a sly grin on his face.

"That's ridiculous!" Amelia shouted. "A portkey across the channel, going in between countries? Not only is that preposterous, no one person could create a portkey with that much power!"

"You are right," Harry replied. "It was not just one person. As I understand it, once Monsieur Delacour agreed to provide the portkey, Hayashi-Sensei had two French wizards and two Japanese witches make it. Sirius gave us a floo call last night and he is doing fine. He said he has never been pampered as nicely as he is being right now. As I understand, the Delacours are quite well off, and they have more than kept their promise to take care of Sirius."

"Well, if he is happy and healthy, then so am I," Amelia told the two men. Susan smiled and squeezed her aunt's hand. To be entirely honest, Susan had only seen her aunt happier once time in her life, and that was when Susan returned from her first year at Hogwarts and they had gone out to celebrate.

"I assume you have other topics you would like to discuss?" Remus said. Amelia nodded, and as they ate dessert in the form of ice cream the two students discussed their classes. Susan focused on the amazing tutelage of Professor Hayashi in contrast to Professor Moody, as Akira now taught almost every class. Harry avoided multiple questions about potions and focused on his rapidly improving transfiguration and defense skills due to his private sessions with Professor McGonagall.

Eventually the ice cream was finished, and Harry and Remus stood up, thanking the two women for hosting them for the night. Amelia and Susan were gracious as they accepted the thanks, but a slight mischievous smile played over the face of the head of the DMLE.

"Harry, I was hoping you might stay and talk with me for a minute." Remus stopped by the door, and Susan glanced at her aunt. "Alone." It was soft spoken, but there was an element of command in her voice. "Remus, if you would take my niece back to the Hufflepuff common room?" Remus nodded, and Susan glared at her aunt. "Susan, I suggest you go with him. If not, I would be happy to tell Harry all about your birthday party when you turned five-"

"Consider me chastised," Susan said as she quickly walked from the room, so fast she did not even say goodnight. Remus nodded to the two remaining people and walked out after Susan. Harry retook his seat and the two sat in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Amelia took a sip of her tea sitting in front of her and studied Harry over the rim of the teacup.

"You have excellent patience for someone your age," Amelia said after another few moments.

"Practice and discipline," Harry remarked. He was curious why Madam Bones had asked him to remain behind, and while he had offered a lot of information over the course of the night and had little intention of directly lying to her, there was no need to give her anything more but blurting out things she would not know unless Harry told her. He was more than content to let her dictate the conversation.

"I have 3 questions for you, if you don't mind."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Of course you do," Madam Bones said, and Harry gave an undignified snort. "I'm serious, Harry. If you don't want to answer one, you have that right. This is not a trial or interrogation." Harry considered the offer for a moment.

"Go ahead."

"You have built quite an unusual friend group, if you don't mind me saying." Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "I understand you are friends with the smartest witch of her age?" Harry didn't respond at the statement. "You have also ensnared the daughter of one of the most powerful men in France, the son of Amos Diggory who will certainty be running for Fudge's position, Hannah Abbott who will one day have a seat on the Wizengamot along with her soon to be more than boyfriend Neville Longbottom. You also seem to be friendly with the seeker of the Bulgarian team, a certain Ms. Greengrass, and the daughter of one of the more popular newspapers after the Daily Prophet."

"Those are… interesting observations, but that is not a question," Harry pointed out.

"Do you have any plans for this group that seems to orbit you?" Amelia asked him point blank

"Plans?" Harry laughed. "I was good friends with a certain Ron Weasley my first three years. He was a jealous friend, and while he is a good person at heart, spending so much time with him and Hermione made it hard to make more friends. This year, I decided to make a few more. You can't have too many friends. As for plans, I'm 14."

"You are also Harry Potter."

"Would you like to be the next minister?" Amelia stared at Harry in shock. "I'm sure we could make it happen in a few years, when Fudge's term is up."

"No, I don't want that at all."

"So two more questions," Harry pointed out.

"Right." Amelia was clearly shaken by the fact that Harry seemed indifferent to the position of the most important wizard or witch in Britain. "You are involved with the French champion, a Ms. Delacour?"

"Honestly, I couldn't tell you," Harry said. "People say she is different because she is French, or because she is Veela. I think regardless of where they are from, girls are universally perplexing. I have been attached at the hip with Hermione since first year, and she baffles me every day."

"She is the so called-smartest witch?"

"She hates when people call her that. Probably as much as I hate the boy-who-lived. Maybe even more. But she is brilliant. To cut off your question, she is my best friend, and I love her but idea of being romantically involved with her has never occurred to me and it would never happen. One, because as you said, there may be something between me and Fleur, and if there isn't, there a few other people I might be interested in. Two, she and Cedric are involved and I have intention of getting in the middle of that. But let's keep that between us for the time being. They don't need anyone butting in and ruining it."

"Harry, this has been one of the more interesting discussions in my life," Amelia admitted.

"You have a third question, one that you are very reluctant to ask," Harry said, as he noticed Amelia hunch over a bit.

"Are you reading my mind?" Amelia said, a flush of anger rising to her cheeks.

"Just your body language," Harry assured her. "You are too honest, and you wear your heart on your sleeve. To be honest, that's probably a good thing for a law enforcement officer and for trying to get Sirius to be honest with his feelings, but it's pretty bad if you want to be a politician. I'm happy you turned down my offer."

"You were serious?" Amelia said.

"Absolutely," Harry said, studying the women he suspected would be honorary aunt soon enough. She would be if he had his way. He liked what he saw. "This has been eye-opening for me as well."

"How so?"

"You are very… real. I didn't know my godfather did real. I think that when you two get married, it will be a good effect on him."

"Planning our wedding already?" Amelia asked.

"No," Harry said. This seemed like a good time to see what the head of the DMLE was like "Amelia, I'm afraid I have been less than honest with you." He removed a shoe from his robes. "Since Sirius is on private property belong to Fleur's father, the French won't extradite Sirius. But if you really want to see him," Harry sat the shoe down on the table, "Just grab it and say Padfoot."

"I can't in good conscience," Amelia said, and Harry smiled. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, that's just a shoe I stole from one of my dormmates. I'm not going to carry around something like an international portkey. I'm not crazy." Amelia frowned at his deception. "If you want, I can answer your third question."

"I haven't asked it."

"You don't have to. I'm not deaf or blind.

"Why am I not surprised? More unsavory characters, for lack of a better world-"

"Just call them what they are" Harry interrupted. "Death eaters."

"Not all of them are," Amelia countered.

"Just for the moment, I'll forgo formality so I can reinforce the point I feel obliged to make. Amelia, I don't know what I would do. But I think that you can't play with kid gloves. These people are really dangerous, and your first responsibility is to the people you have under control, not the people they are hunting."

"Authorize my aurors to use the killing curse?" Amelia looked horrified.

"No, that's crazy," Harry said. "But don't play around with people that have death in their name. There are plenty of other curses to use. But I'd stay away from the unforgivables. They are a special brand of curses."

"What do you mean?"

"The entrail expelling curse is just as likely to cause death as the killing curse if cast with enough power. So why is one an unforgivable curse, while the other is just a spell likely to cause death?" Amelia didn't have an answer. "Because every time you summon the anger to use it, you lose a little bit of yourself. The power of the curse becomes addicting, and you become numb to things that would cause other people to pale."

"If my people start to kill, public opinion will turn quite quickly," Amelia told him. "We can never afford to lose the moral high ground to the dark lord."

"I understand that, and you are in a very tough position. I'm not going to commit you to anything or say to do something you would regret. But stunning spells only? That is dangerous to your people in more than one way. I won't go out on my boy-who-lived soapbox to say anything unless you are absolutely certain it is necessary," Amelia nodded at that, "but if you need it, I can help. If not, I'd prefer to stow that for the rest of my life."

"So if someone tries to use the killing curse on you?"

"They would regret it." Harry said, and Amelia recoiled from the cold look in his eyes. Hearing it from a 14 year old boy, or man in Harry's case was worrying. But hearing him saying it so casually had her slightly terrified. "If that is all?" Harry stood, gave a small bow, and left Amelia sitting in stunned silence.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

"What did she want to talk about?" Susan asked the next morning as they sat down for breakfast. "I saw auntie off this morning, and she looked like you had stabbed her."

"Nothing too serious," Harry lied, and from Susan's accusing look he knew that it had not been a convincing lie. "If you want, we can talk about it later, but I suggest we avoid it."

"Why?"

"Your aunt didn't want to hear some of the things I said." Harry ran his hands through his hair, trying to create some semblance of order from the mess on his head. "I think she knew what I was going to say, but it still worried her."

"Are you trying to make me mad by being intentionally vague again?"

"I'm not trying to make you mad," Harry said with a faint smile. "It's not anything too secret, we just had a difference of opinion, and I think she is a little worried about my opinion, given the fact that this year I have gathered an odd assortment of friends." Susan glanced around the breakfast table, taking in the group of people that were eating with them.

"Yeah I guess you have." Harry smiled as Susan ceased the line of questioning, taking the time to think about his answers last night. Most people might assume what he had said was posturing, and if Harry heard any of his friends saying similar things he would be tempted to box their ears in. But there was a palpable weight lifted off his chest having said aloud what had been stirring in his mind ever since August. He was a different version of Harry, and now that he had people to protect, nothing and no one would hurt the people around, regardless of the potential personal cost.


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N:** **Another Long Day**

Chapter 37: A New Year

New Year's Day, 1995

"Happy New Year Dean," Harry said, swinging the door open for the tall dark skinned wizard.

"You as well Harry," Dean said as he walked past Harry. "Thank you for inviting me to this gathering."

"Well, I suspected that the girls would be busy on Christmas and I love watching everyone open their presents so it made sense to bump everything back to new year's," Harry explained.

"Well this should be fun," Dean told Harry. "Who else is coming?"

"Krum and Fleur are both coming," Harry told him. "The twins are still here, and so is Hermione and Neville. I'm pretty sure Susan and Hannah will swing by as well, and maybe a few professors." Dean nodded but looked a little sad. "Of course Lavender is coming too," Harry said, giving Dean a bit of a shove as his friend began to blush. "That's quite a blush you have." Harry was delighted that his teasing had come off well.

"Hey it's not like that," Dean said, though his protest was half-hearted.

"What was it you said to me earlier this year?" Harry closed his eyes, as if trying to remember although the memory was crystal clear. "So you and a Gryffindor, huh?" The delayed reaction Dean gave him as he realized Harry was getting turnaround from months ago was priceless. Dean gave a half growl and tackled Harry to the floor. Harry extended his legs and popped Dean off him, flipping to his feet in the same move.

"This is not funny!"

"No, it's hilarious," Harry told Dean, dodging another desperate attack. "So you really like her?"

"I think so," Dean said, plopping down on a coach. "Please don't say anything."

"My lips are sealed," Harry said, sitting next to Dean as the door swung open.

"So you kept a Hippogriff in here?" Hannah said as she walked in, Susan right behind her.

"I believe you said something about not gossiping as much," Harry pitched his voice so that Susan could clearly hear him.

"It's not gossiping if I only tell my best friend," Susan said, sitting next to Hannah on the couch next to the one to two boys were on. "Hello Dean."

"Hey Susan," Dean said. "So Harry, this room can really be used to create anything?"

"Yeah," Harry told him. "It's too cold outside to exercise comfortably, so Professor Hayashi, Nev, and I have been exercising in here."

"Neville is still exercising with you?" Dean asked, clearly a little surprised.

"Yes he is," Hannah answered. "I can happily attest to the results."

"Gross," Harry said with a shudder which caused the girls to laugh. "Speaking of making anything," Harry stared at the space in front of them and saw a large tree appear. "Didn't know that would work. Cool."

"A Christmas tree on New Year's?"

"Well we are exchanging Christmas presents, right?" Harry drew his wand and muttered "Finite Incantatem," and a host of presents appeared under the tree.

"Did you just create all of those?" Hannah asked with her mouth wide open.

"Of course not," Harry replied with a laugh, causing Hannah to look a little miffed. "I just canceled the disillusionment on them. It's easier to do on objects than humans and McGonagall taught it to me in our special training for the tournament," Harry added when realizing his classmates had not used the spell to such effect before.

"Merry New Year," Fleur said as she swung open the door, Victor right behind her.

"It's Merry Christmas and Happy New Year," Krum said, as the two champions settled on another one of the couches the Room of Requirement had created for the celebration Harry had put together.

"I am well aware," Fleur told him, "but since we are doing Christmas and New Year's together, I decided to combine the two."

"Very funny," Krum said without a smile.

"You are all together too serious," Luna said, popping up from behind the couch, scaring everyone in the room. "Hello."

"Wow!" Hermione entered the room with Neville right behind her. The twins were next and Lavender entered, swinging the door closed behind her. "The room is really beautiful." Hermione sat next to Fleur, while Lavender and Neville sat on opposite sides next to Dean and Harry respectively.

"The room can really transform into anything?" Krum asked. "Fascinating. I wonder how it was created."

"Ok, enough chatter," Harry said. With a flick of his wand, the presents he had put under the tree floated to the feet of the people around the tree. "Present time. We will go in a circle. I want to see you all open them and since because I only came up with idea about the last minute I assume I am the only one to not give out presents." Nods were exchanged across the room. "Great, get going!"

Lavender was first, and Harry watched eagerly as she opened her package to find a colored book. She looked at him curiously and then opened the book.

"What are these colors?" Lavender asked.

"That's the present," Harry said as Lavender gasped. "The book is charmed to have different colors on every page and they always change. No two pages will always have ever have the same color. It will also show some of those colors on muggle fashion. Hopefully the book should help if you choose to go into fashion." Lavender smiled happily.

"Ok, we are next," the twins said. They tore open their package and were puzzled to see two small notebooks. "More books?"

"Look on the first page," Harry said. This was one of his best presents, in his opinion. The twins looked at each other and opened the notebooks simultaneously. The impact was instant, with Fred dropping his book and George gasping.

"What is it?" Hermione asked. The twins were barely moving. "Did you prank them Harry?"

"Padfoot's greatest pranks," Fred said, his voice trembling.

"Moony's guide to deception," George said, reverence in his voice. "Harry, this is…"

"They were happy to help," Harry told them, "especially seeing as you saved one of their lives." The twins just nodded but were too stunned to say anything else. "Ok, seems like I did good there. Krum next!" The other students looked at each other in amusement. Only Harry would be as excited as a little kid to see other people open the presents he got for them.

"Did I miss it?" Akira said, bursting into the room, holding a huge box in his arms.

"No, just in time," Harry said as Akira plopped down on the floor with a gasp of relief. McGonagall was right behind him. Harry looked at her inquisitively, and she gave him a tiny nod, indicating she had been able to get the special present. Meanwhile, Krum was looking curiously at the wheel he held in his hand. "You have to tap it with your wand."

"Ok?" Krum tapped the wheel and the spokes spun around and flashed, and it the place of the wheel was a broom. On the side of the broom was red lettering, spelling out Firebolt. "A broom?"

"A firebolt," Harry said, and Krum gasped. "So next time we play, you have no excuses. It's the newest model."

"The F2?" Krum asked, cradling the broom in his hand "This isn't available on the market yet."

"I know a guy who knows a guy," Harry said with a wave of his hand. "You like it and we will call it even."

"This is a priceless gift," Krum said, looking at Harry.

"Well, the factory foreman certainly tried to give it a price," Harry said with a laugh. "Ok, Luna, your turn!" Luna smiled and popped over the couch to land in between Luna and Krum. This time Harry was looking for it and he saw Krum inch a tiny bit closer to Luna. His eyes widened and Harry leaned into Neville.

"Did you see that?" Harry whispered. The room was silent as Luna opened her present, and all eyes swiveled to look at Harry and Neville who were whispering to each other.

"Harry!" Luna's eyes were shining as she looked at him, holding a sheet of paper. There was a barley distinct blur of color on the paper. "This is amazing!"

"It's the best picture I could find," Harry admitted. Luna was jumping up and down in joy, and she rushed over to hug Harry. "I'm happy you like it."

"I love it!" Luna said, hugging Harry again before retaking her seat.

"What is it?" Hannah asked. "It looks like a blur?"

"It's a picture of a Nargle!" Luna said. "This is perfect for the new issue of the quibbler!"

"I look forward to reading it," Krum said, and Harry and Neville glanced at each other. Then with no warning they started to laugh. Neville laughed so hard he started to tear up, and Harry literally fell to the floor in convulsions.

"What is so funny?" Susan asked, eyeing the two Gryffindor's suspiciously as they tried to regain control of themselves. Dean was eyeing the two as well, and his glance flicked over to Krum, who was staring at the picture Luna proudly held in fascination.

"Oh." Dean started to chuckle a little bit, and while Neville was able to regain control, Dean's laughter set Harry off into a new gale of merriment. "I have to say that fascinating."

"I noticed it after Yule," Harry said. "Neville said once he noticed, he couldn't stop. Isn't it wonderful?"

"It's certainly interesting," Dean said. Everyone else in the room was becoming irritated, as the three fourth year Gryffindor's seemed to be hiding the world's most hysterical secret. Everyone but the twins, who were already reading the notebooks they got, oblivious to the rest of the world. "Is it serious?" Harry and Neville looked at each other and devolved back into hysterical laughter. "Oh, this is really funny." Lavender poked him in the side. "Lav, I'm afraid I can't say anything more."

"He's bound by the code," Neville said, which set him and Harry off into even more laughter. Akira's head whipped up at that, and after a glance around the room he began to chuckle as well.

"Ok, what is going on!" Hermione demanded. The four guys looked at each other, and then Akira looked at Hermione, his face a stone mask.

"Guy stuff." There was silence, and then all four guys burst into laughter yet again. "You wouldn't understand," Akira managed to get out after catching his breath. The other two boys had not even looked up from the notebooks they were carefully reading. Harry suspected it would be impossible to get the twins undivided attention for a few days.

"Ok, should we keep going?" Susan said, staring to open her present. It was a small leather bound book, and Susan opened it with trepidation. Similar to George, her mouth dropped open as she read the inscription. "How?" She stared at Harry with tears in her eyes.

"As it turns out, it had fallen into the hands of Akria's dad a few years ago. He never opened it, of course."

"What is it?" Hannah asked as she saw the tears start to fall from her best friend's eyes.

"It's the Bones family Grimoire, spells my family invented. It can only be opened by a member of my family, and if they are stolen they are usually burned," Susan said. "My aunt will be shocked this existed."

"Good, because I didn't get her a present." Harry pulled himself upright. "Actually, I guess I did." Susan looked at him with her head cocked, a silent question in her eyes. "For another time."

Neville and Hannah got mirrors that they could talk to each other on, Hermione got a book on the theory behind spells in different languages and earrings to match her dress, earning Harry another huge hug. Harry gave Dean a set of soccer cards with West Ham players, which left everyone else confused and Harry and Dean in stiches. Finally they were left with only Fleur, who had no package at her feet.

"Harry already got me a present," Fleur explained. "I came simply because my family is not at home right now."

"Well, I did you get the necklace, but I got you something else. For everyday wear. I wanted a different kind of necklace." Harry admitted. Fleur was intrigued. "First, I think Akira mentioned something about presents for everyone?"

"Yes, I do have presents from a friend of Harry," Akira said. "Don't worry about your friends who aren't here. He bought a bunch of them and gave me 30." Everyone opened their package and it was Krum who had the first reaction, springing to his feet. "Oh, you know what this is Victor?"

"They are wand holsters," Krum said, examining the leather holster. "If I am not mistaken, these are Hessler Holsters."

"I'm impressed," Akira said, a smile crossing his face. "You know your wand holsters!"

"Everyone knows Hessler Holsters," Krum said, but looking around the room all he got was blank stares. "Hessler Holsters are the gold standard for holsters. They have anti-summoning charms on them, if you drop your wand nearby it reappears in the holster in a minute if it is close, and it only takes a touch for the wand to jump into your dominant hand. One of these runs at least 100 galleons."

"Oh," Harry said with a little surprise. "So he got them?" Akira nodded and Harry smiled. "Figures. Victor, don't worry about the money. The guy who bought them always says he has more money than he knows what to do with. I bet that he could buy 10,000 Holsters and it wouldn't even put a dent in the bucket."

"And you know this man?" Neville asked, buckling the holster to his hip.

"Yeah, he was one of my trainers over the summer," Harry explained. "The only thing I can say about him is that he is crazy powerful. He could crush Dumbledore before you could blink."

"Don't be silly," Hermione told him. "Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard in Britain, maybe all of Europe."

"I don't know if that's true," Harry said, "He is certaintly the most well-known. Even if that is true, it then stands to reason that the man who bought them is not European." Hermione was stunned into silence by that answer. "Trust me, this really isn't an issue to him. He must have been happy to hear I was making new friends in the last letter I sent him."

"He was," Akira confirmed. "He's on the move at the moment, but he left these with my dad before he left."

"Cool," was all Harry could say as he belted his own holster on. "Oh, can't forget Fleur!" Harry said as McGonagall raised her hand. "You got it?"

"Just like you said," his grandmother said.

"Fleur, I know I got you the necklace but that seemed so impersonal," Harry said. "When I asked your parents about your outfit to get the right necklace, I also asked if there was anything else you always wanted. They couldn't answer me, but I heard a story about this item, and it happened to come into my possession this summer. Professor McGonagall did me a favor and got it for me."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Fleur said. Harry just smiled and picked up the box and placed it on Fleur's lap. Fleur pulled out a small stone with a light gold chain holding it and gasped

"How did you get this?"

"Long story," Harry said. "Or more accurately, one I can't tell. Is it the right thing?"

"Yes, it's wonderful," Fleur said with a giant smile.

"It's a Veela focusing stone," Harry explained to the rest of the group. "Supposedly, it helps Veela control their allure. So Fleur won't have to focus on containing it. The stone will do it for her. I hope you like it." Fleur slipped the necklace around her neck and looked up. Harry couldn't even react as Fleur rushed across the room with an excited shout and kissed him quite emphatically. "Fleur!" Harry said, pushing her away in surprise.

"Stop talking," Fleur said, leaning in and kissing him again. Harry couldn't help himself as he drew the girl closer to him, and was filled with regret when she finally lowered her lips, burying her head in his chest. "It's perfect." She placed a gentle kiss on his collarbone. "This is best present I have ever gotten," Fleur said.

"I'm happy to hear it." He wiped his brown and leaned back against the couch. "I was worried it would be too much." He looked around the room and saw all the smiling faces. "It was worth clearing out my vault."

"Don't be such a jokester Harry," Neville said, admiring his communication mirror. Everyone in the room glared at Neville. "I know this all seems pretty expensive but come on."

"No, I cleared out my vault," Harry said slowly. "This all cost a lot, but I figured it was worth it. I have someone who is going to pay my school bills, and this is the first year I had so many friends. I wanted to get everyone something special. Even the people who went home, like Cedric and Daphne got special presents. Though I guess they are picking up a few days late. Even if it was a little late and kind of my fault." He said the last sentence so quietly no one heard him.

"Harry, I don't know the exact finances but I'm fairly confident that even if you were the one who bought all the holsters it wouldn't be a real impact. I thought you were joking about the mysterious man who could defeat Dumbledore." Harry shook his head. "Regardless, the Potters were more than comfortable. I believe the term would be filthy stinking rich."

"Neville, I swear to you I have no idea what you are talking about. There is some money deposited in my vault every year for school. Outside of that…"

"But where does that money come from?" Neville pointed out. Harry pursed his lips. "Harry, remember when my grandma started digging into your family history? Well, she found out that the Potter's that have been in England died out a few hundred years ago. You are the sole decedent of that branch, so you get all that money. There is more A branch of the Potters were actually the decedents of a guy named Ignotus Peverell, who was a pureblood in England back in the 1200's. Remember Daphne said that that your family line only came to England 200 years ago?" Harry nodded. "Well, the direct decedent of the Peverell line is extinct. You are the closest relative. You will have access to those resources as well."

"Are you serious?"

"Extremely. What number is your vault?"

"687," Harry answered confidently.

"Yeah, so that must be a trust vault like you said," Neville muttered to himself. "But you must have an old family vault too. Maybe even more depending on other family lines related to the Peverell. We have to talk to the goblins."

"What is going on?" Harry said as Neville hoisted himself and his best mate to his feet.

"We are going to Gringotts to get to the bottom of this," Neville said. "The goblins are a pain to deal with, but hopefully we can make them see reason."

"Goblins will try and trick you if you don't understand their languege," Luna said. Everyone looked at her. "Everyone knows that."

"Everyone doesn't know that," Harry told her gently. "But we don't have time to go search for an expert. There are virtually no humans who speak Gobbledegook."

"Um, I do." Harry's eyes flickered to the speaker. Krum had raised his hand tentatively. "I'm not fluent by any stretch of the imagination, but I should be able to help."

"We can use it as a secret weapon," Neville said. "We'll talk to them in English, and then Krum can translate for us if they are hiding secrets."

"Is it a good idea to try and trick the Goblin's?" Hermione asked.

"They respect strength and cunning," Krum said. "They won't like it if we trick them, but if we catch them in a lie, or if they are intentionally hiding something then we can force them into giving us more information. All it takes is the word of the boy-who-lived talking to the daily prophet about how Gringotts isn't trustworthy." Harry flinched at the phrasing. "Problem, Harry?"

"One, you know I don't like that name." Krum held his hands in mock surrender. "Two, I feel like if I use my fame for this, not only is it irresponsible, the goblin nation might be out to kill me."

"Sure, if you actually go to the prophet," Krum explained. "But if we just make it a threat if they try to deceive you and withhold information…" Krum trailed off and looked at the two Gryffindors who were standing. "Neville, if Harry and I back you up, can you stand up to the goblins?"

"It's Harry's request," Neville said, wringing his hands.

"Yes but if we have the heir of the Longbottom house asking because Lord Potter doesn't deign this important enough to speak about, it's another level of power play."

"I can't believe I am here listening to and silently condoning a group of students to try and trick the goblins," McGonagall said. "I feel like I should come with you."

"Neither you or Akira can come with me," Harry said. "If Remus was still here he could come as a pseudo chaperone, but there are a few things we want to keep under wraps that might get out if you came."

"You're right," his grandmother said with a sigh. "Well, Happy New Year's. I've got some paperwork to do. Akira, if you have the time why don't you help?"

"Good luck," Luna said to Neville. "Sounds like you have the toughest job."

"Butch up," Harry told Neville. "If you can stand up to me, you can stand up to some goblins. You are my best mate, after all." It was a calculated risk to remind Neville of that fact, but Harry saw Neville's back straighten and knew he had made the right call.

"You're right." It was a quick walk and floo trip from Hogsmeade, but soon they were staring up at the bank. "We are sure about this?"

"Just like we rehearsed." Neville nodded, squared his shoulders, and entered the bank.

"Are we really going to stun goblins if they talk back to Neville?" Harry whispered to Krum as they followed Neville to one of the counters.

"Don't be crazy," Krum replied in a hushed tone. "We want him to be confident, not dead." Harry gave a dry chuckle as Neville stopped at an empty teller.

"Can I help you?"

"We wish to speak to the Potter Account Manager right now regarding a change in the primary accountholder's status," Neville told the goblin.

"The Potter accountholder can come speak to us himself," the globin said with a sneer.

"He is here with me," Neville said, indicating Harry over his shoulder. Harry was doing his best to look totally uninterested in the proceedings even though the thought of seeing his families vault and maybe even being able to access his parent's will drove him crazy with anticipation. "He refuses to speak to you until the wrongs done to him are righted."

"We have never had any wrongdoing with any client," the goblin protested. A few people were watching now as the voices rose in volume.

"How dare you say that!" Neville spat. Harry was impressed by the performance. It had been Victor's suggestion to use Malfoy's attitude towards those he thought was inferior as a jumping off point. Granted, Malfoy had reigned in his attitude after the second incident.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

December 1994

Harry almost missed it since he was in a hurry. Normal people would wait for the staircases to align but most people hadn't promised their best friend they would attend potions that day and wouldn't get an earful from a professor and said closest friend for being late. But as he hit the 4th floor landing and prepared to jump to the nearest staircase, he heard an impact sound.

If not for a moment's hesitation, Harry would not have heard the acid tone of the boy who had so often been his nemesis. He heard a dry laugh that he could only attribute to Nott, and a cry of fear. His mind made up, Harry turned away from the staircase and started to walk down the hallway. His eyes lit upon four Slytherin boys surrounding two young girls and he saw red.

Normally it might be fair to announce yourself before attacking someone, but the repeated actions of Draco lowered him to animal level. Harry knocked Malfoy down. He wanted to Malfoy to receive his undivided attention in a moment. He caught Crabbe with a front kick and used the pushback to flip and nail Goyle with a reverse roundhouse. Nott brought out his wand, but Harry grabbed his forearm and with a sickening crunch broke the arm. He hadn't meant to it and wasn't used to his increased natural strength, but it was a pleasant surprise.

"AHHHH!" Nott cried out, but Harry just tossed him into a nearby wall. Draco tried to rise to his feet, and was helped by Harry, who grabbed his collar with both hands and pinned him against the wall.

"Draco, it seems that you didn't learn your lesson," Harry drawled and then he moved one hand to Draco's back, using it to support the blonde's boys weight and keep him upright as he hammered two blows into his ribs. Harry felt bones break and did nothing to hide the savage grin. Draco staggered and Harry hit him twice in the face. The second blow broke Draco's nose and he collapsed to the floor sobbing.

"Fuck you Potter!" Draco managed to spit out as he rolled on the floor. "When my father hears about this, it will be your head!"

"Go ahead," Harry said, crouching down next to Draco. "Tell on me to your father. I'll lose some house points and get some detentions. Next time, I'll just make sure you can't talk. In fact, how about I take care of it right now?" The Slytherin's face went white as Harry stood. "Normally I'm less violent, but I take offense at bullying." Harry helped the two girls to their feet. "Sorry girls, today's a bad day. This is a long overdue conversation, and you probably don't want to see it."

"You are Harry Potter," one of the girls said in a breathless voice. She couldn't have been older than a 2nd year and was wearing the Gryffindor crest. The other girl had a Hufflepuff crest and looked to be a similar age.

"Unfortunately," Harry told her. "I suggest you two head out." Harry saw Goyle rise from his periphery. "Ahh, nice to see you are up Gregory. Vincent, you might want to help your friend out." The two big boys drew their wands as Harry drew his. "Ladies, I would appreciate it if you made yourself scare." Harry had a shield spell on his tongue when he was suddenly yanked out of the way of the incoming spells and he looked down to see the young lion trying to drag him down the corridor.

"Come on!" The girl yelled. "They'll catch us!" Harry allowed the girl to drag him out of harm way, stopping only long enough to send two tripping jinxes down the corridor. He heard one person fall and any footsteps faded from his hearing as the girls yanked him a few floors away. They headed up and reached the portrait of Fat Lady. The girl gave the required password and the portrait swung open. Luckily, there was no one on the common room.

"We are ok, we are ok." The Hufflepuff girl muttered over and over again. She was shaking and went silent as her friend hugged her.

"Thank you so much," the Gryffindor girl told him. "You saved us."

"It's no problem," Harry said. He saw something near the top of her robe's sleeve and approached her slowly. He reached out his arm and she tried to move away but he caught the sleeve and slid it up. There were bruises on her arm and Harry sucked in a breath. "Did Malfoy do this to you?"

"Don't say anything!" The girl said, clearly terrified. "He won't hurt you because you are Harry Potter, but he'll hurt me."

"What's your name?"

"Natalie, Natalie McDonald."

"Natalie, we have to tell someone," Harry said.

"No, you can't," Natalie said. "Maybe he gets in trouble, but then he tells his father and then my orphanage loses funding. You can't be everywhere. I'll be more careful in the future. But please, don't tell anyone." Harry realized the girl was right and agreed. After the two girls recovered from the shock of the assault, they had endless questions and Harry decided to skip classes to answer them as best as he could. It meant a rather public tongue lashing from Hermione since he absolutely would not tell her, but all in all Harry thought it was worth it.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

New Years Day, 1995

Malfoy and his cronies had been silent since then. Since Malfoy Sr. had not appeared at school, and Harry was sure Draco tattled, his father must have said that discretion was the better part of valor. But from the death glares he had gotten from the blond-haired ponce, Harry figured his nemesis was planning revenge. The incident had actually been the beginning of his reconciliation with Daphne. After Harry exacted a promise that she would not go and kill Malfoy for his behavior, she promised to keep an eye on the Malfoy gang.

Neville was doing an excellent impersonation of old Draco as he argued with the goblin. More than half the bank was watching Neville who seemed to be winning the argument. Harry realized he was far too focused on the scene in front of him and allowed his head to hang looser which gave him the freedom to scan the periphery. There were no goblins or security trolls moving towards them which boded well. A well-dressed goblin was approaching the teller Neville was lambasting.

The teller turned his head as the more senior goblin tapped the young on the shoulder. A quick discussion between the two of them in Gobbledegook had Krum interested. Eventually the younger goblin nodded and the senior one stepped up to his spot.

"Mr. Longbottom, it has been some time. I am account manager Kurlok, responsible for the Potter accounts and all of their associates. I assure you we have been trying to contact Mr. Potter for some time, especially since he attained his lordship last summer. We have had extensive discussions with his magical guardian." Krum gave a discrete nod to Neville.

"My guardian?" Harry stepped forward. He suspected the answer, but he needed to hear it confirmed.

"Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore," Kurlok said. The statement felt like a huge weight. Harry almost staggered back as Neville drew in a deep breath. Krum was the most stoic, his eyes widening a little.

"Well, in the future none of your correspondence should go through him. I am now an adult so the only person you should discuss my finances with is me." The account manager nodded. "I would like to see all my vaults now." Kurlok nodded and led the three boys toward the carts.

It took a few hours to see everything, so it was late afternoon when they finally returned to the surface. Victor had a quick Gobbledegook discussion with Kurlok involving future directives. Neville and Harry were both a bit stunned. The ancestral Peverell vault was large, as was the vault that had been filling his trust fund, the vault of the Potters who recently arrived. His family vault, the vault of the Potters in England who had died out was vault 9, and while it was light on gold, it was filled with everything else imaginable: books, jewels, furniture and more.

"Well, that was impressive," Harry managed to say as they took the floo to get back to Hogsmeade.

"Impressive?" Neville replied. "That was insane! You'll never have to work again! Your great grandchildren will never have to work!"

"I guess not, but wouldn't lying around doing nothing get boring after a while?" Harry said. "I don't think I'd mind a short break, but eventually you want to keep busy."

"Well, you could be a stay at home dad," Victor said. Harry rolled his eyes at that. "You said you might want children one day."

"Yeah I guess." Harry picked up the pace, walking away from the other two boys. Victor laid a hand on Neville, allowing Harry to gain distance on them.

"What's up?" Neville asked once Harry was out of hearing distance.

"We saw his trust vault. There was nothing left."

"I don't think Harry will be wanting for money."

"That was not my point," Krum explained. "Harry did not know about his other reserves, and spent what he believed to be all of his money."

"Harry has always been generous to friends. This is just the first year where he has had more than two."

"You and Hermione?" Krum asked.

"No, Harry was best friends with Ron. I guess you never met him, but Ron and Hermione were a little possessive of Harry. This year he has made a lot more friends. But," Neville said, trying to refocus, "you were making a point about Harry spending what he thought was all of his money before we got sidetracked."

"Right, of course. There is only one reason that someone as clever as Harry would be frivolous with money." Victor paused for dramatic effect, and Neville resist the urge to throttle him. "Because he thinks he will not be around much longer to spend it."

"Then why would he spend all his money on other people?" Neville asked. Even as he asked the question Neville realized the answer. "Of course, it is because that is who Harry is. He has flaws that we overlook, but he always cares more about other people than himself. What do you think we should do, if anything?"

"I think that we need to have a meeting without him, the Harry Potter survival team. He may not need our help, but we should be prepared to offer it. There are many mysteries around Harry, and no one, not even Harry knows every answer. Perhaps if we pool our knowledge, we can begin to understand.

"Understand?" Neville asked.

"Understand why Harry is preparing to die."


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: In case you are unfamiliar with wizarding grading, here is a key.**

**Passing Grades**

**O: Outstanding**

**E: Exceeds Expectation**

**A: Acceptable**

**Failing Grades**

**P: Poor**

**D: Dreadful**

**T: Troll**

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

Chapter 38: Birth of a Prodigy

New Year's Day, 1995

Minerva McGonagall began to read the paper on top of the stack on her desk. She had managed almost 2 hours of paperwork with the assistance of Akira, but then Akira had remembered that Remus had given him all of Harry's tests before the werewolf he went to join Sirius in France at the Delacour estate. Paperwork had put aside and now it was time to see if Harry had continued to apply himself despite his less than stellar attendance.

Her grandson had always been a powerful and talented wizard. When it came to performing spells and putting power behind them, Harry was possibly the most talented in his year even before this year. His transfiguration and charms were great, but not as good as his attack and defense spells, the things that most students should be taught in Defense Against the Arts. His issues with potions was well documented and Minerva had always wondered if it might be best for Harry to learn potions from someone else.

While Harry was legally an adult, many would not treat him as such, not until he took his seat on the Wizengamot which he could not do until taking his O.W.L.s. It would be ideal for many reasons if Sirius was cleared of all charges, assuming he was truly innocent. If Sirius could not return, Minerva would step in as Harry's Guardian and look into getting him private instruction in potions.

Harry's skill at Care of Magical Creatures was something Minnie was familiar with, and the arrival of Charlie and Harry's presence and performance in his dragon elective confirmed that Harry's grades there was not just Hagrid's favoritism. Other classes such as Astronomy, Divination which had been replaced by Runes, History of Magic, and Herbology were usually acceptable, but not much better.

The test she was now looking at, his transfiguration test was important because it dealt mainly with theory and non-concrete concepts, something Harry had usually skimmed, and it kept him from getting an Outstanding in spell-based classes, sometimes even dragging him down below Exceeds Expectations towards Acceptable. To truly become a world-class wizard, something that was within his reach, he needed to improve his theoretical work.

Harry's attendance record did not mean he was randomly skipping classes, using his champion's free time to do nothing. He was often training and practicing, both his magic and his physical skills. But with less class time there was a chance that Harry continued to let his theoretical work slide. Every year he let that work slide would make it all the harder for him to catch up. So every answer was read with care.

It took a half hour to evaluate the transfiguration test due to her mastery of the subject and ability to dissect every sentence to maximize her ability to give points, while also making sure to take away points when necessary. As she looked the paper over, she saw Akira set down the test he was working on as well.

"How is he doing?" McGonagall asked.

"His Japanese was great, an easy O," Akira said. "His Runes was probably an E. How was his transfiguration."

"Some of his best work," Minerva said. "Probably an O, and that's not being generous. Have you been working on it with him?"

"Not too much," Akira said. "I'd be able to hazard a suggestion as to why he has improved."

"I'm listening."

"Different perspectives," Akira asserted. "In the past he has worked with Hermione… and that's the end of the list. This year he has worked with multiple upper year students, Hufflepuff, and a Slytherin. Interesting that the only Ravenclaw in his circle of friends in the Lovegood girl even though they don't have a true rivalry with Gryffindor." Minerva nodded. "That doesn't even include the international students. With all those different people Harry is learning to approach problems in more ways. It's not a surprise that he has improved as a student."

"That's true," Harry's grandmother agreed. "Ok, what's next?"

"I'll take Charms, History and Herbology." Akira said, picking up the respective tests. Can you take Magical Creatures, Astronomy, and Potions?" Minerva nodded and they both bent to their tasks. The only sound heard in the deputy headmaster's office were the respective quill and pen working over Harry's tests.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

Almost every student in the school were sleeping in, relaxing, and generally doing everything possible to destress. There was one student who despite the best efforts of those around him simply couldn't sit still and unwind. He was pacing his common room like a caged beast, and eventually dragged some friends to the room of requirement.

"I was really looking forward to a nap," Susan said as the door opened. "What did you even ask for?"

"An open space with targets," the boy said.

"Ok," Susan said, settling across from the boy and drawing her wand. "What are we doing?"

"Do you know what trigonometry is?" Susan shook her head. "It's the idea that in a three sided object you can calculate angles and determine how long something is."

"You mean triangles," Susan clarified.

"That's right. But what if we took the principles of that and assumed something wouldn't have a limited length." Susan looked baffled. The boy was making no sense. "Perhaps I should just show you. Fire a spell at me. Nothing too powerful, maybe a stinging hex or tripping hex."

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely," the boy confirmed. "Do you have so little trust in me?"

"It's New Year's day. I don't want to bother Madam Pomfrey when you get knocked over for the 20th time."

"Just fire!" The boy snapped and on command Susan's wand fixed on him.

"Pungo!" Susan watched in surprise as the boy flicked his wand and without saying a word the white bolt flew past him. It crashed harmlessly into a wall. The boy rolled his wand with a look of disgust on his face.

"It's harder than I anticipated."

"What was that?" Susan asked, trying to hide her shock. Deflecting spells with no incantation was something taught after school. She had seen her aunt do it, but many aurors couldn't do it until they were finished with training, and here her friend did it instinctively. He seemed almost bored by his success.

"Just math, I guess. Can you go again?"

Susan was panting heavily. After 30 minutes not a single spell had hit him, regardless of her tactics. He was hitting the targets arrayed around the room with some regularity, either with spells he fired at the same time or by deflecting her spell in that direction. Susan was impressed but there was another feeling creeping up inside her every time the boy made a face of disgust when he missed a target, which was becoming more and more infrequent.

It was a feeling that she occasionally came across when she met some of her aunt's more impressive guests, but it was one she almost never felt at school. In fact, the last time she felt it was when Harry had intervened after the first task and broke the French boy's jaw and seemed totally unaffected, more annoyed than distraught. It was just a sliver, but it was growing. She was afraid.

Not so much of the boy in front of her, deflecting her spells at all angles. He was usually so unassuming, fitting into their group of friends with ease. He was quiet for the most part, and when he spoke it was usually something important or an observation few others had noticed. She wasn't afraid of him, but rather the look of total disinterest and ease at which he demonstrated remarkable spell work. It was as if he was mad at himself for no discernible reason.

"You ok?" He had been speaking while Susan had zoned out. "You look a little tired. If you want we can call it a day."

"No, I have some energy back," Susan lied. "You ready?" The boy nodded and Susan sent a barrage of her strongest spells at him with no pause between them. She ended it with a spell her aunt had taught her only to be used in dire circumstances, a powerful bludgeoning spell. As the bolts of light streaked across the room, she saw each one deflected with ease, but as the bludgeoning spell reached the boy he contorted his body to dive out of the way of the final shot.

"Woah!" Dean said, flipping back to his feet. "That last spell was really nasty. What was it?" Susan dropped to the floor, too tired to speak. "Hey Susan?" Susan just stared at the ground, dropping in deep breaths, and then her vision faded and she felt herself crumple to the floor.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

"Susan!" Susan looked up to see Professor Hayashi looking at her with concern. "Dean said you passed out for a second."

"I did?" Susan asked, trying to rise, but her legs were asleep and she stumbled. The defense professor caught her and guided her to a couch the room had conjured.

"For a few minutes," Dean said, a worried look on his face. "You should have told me you were getting tired!"

"It was too easy for you," Susan said. "I wanted to make you dodge, and I did."

"What were you two doing?" Professor Hayashi asked. "It's New Year's day, you should be napping or having fun with the present's Harry got you."

"Well, I got a math book for Christmas from my mum. She's a teacher, and she said I should learn some useful stuff in case this whole wizard thing doesn't work out." Dean shook his head a bit. "She doesn't really get the wizarding world in the slightest."

"A lot of people struggle to." Professor Hayashi put a hand on Dean's shoulder in commiseration. "What does that have to do with the reason you raced into my office worried that Susan was dying?"

"Dying?" Susan said, her head clearing a bit.

"You weren't responding to anything." Worry flashed across Dean's face. "I saw you were getting tired, but it was too exciting."

"Well, I'd advocate taking it easy today, and no magic for sure," Professor Hayashi explained. "You were magically exhausted. If you feel tired tomorrow, come and get me." Susan nodded. "But what were the two of you doing that has to do with math?"

"Well, it kind of made sense of me to combine math and magic," Dean said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Akira looked at him with confusion. He had absolutely no idea what the young wizard was talking about. He was aware of math but had no idea what Dean meant when he said he had combined it with magic. "Should I just show you?"

"I guess," Akira admitted. He was curious to see what was going on. Dean walked across the room from him.

"Fire some spells at me," Dean called. "Nothing too powerful. I'm still working out how to do this." Dean flicked his wand out of his brand-new holster. The Hessler Holster could be attached at the waist, leg, or arm, and Dean had chosen to attach it to his waist, the most common area. Akira had his own attached to his arm, and always had the disillusionment charm active so it seemed like his wand came out of midair. "Oh and please cast verbally. I suspect that I can't do it with nonverbal spells just yet."

"You sure?" Akira asked, unable to keep the skepticism out of his voice.

"Go for it!"

"You asked for it," Akira muttered to himself, and with a simple snap of his fingers his wand jumped to his hand. "Furnunculus!" The beam shot across the chamber and without a word Dean flicked his wand and the beam returned straight back at Akira, who flicked his own wand to deflect the spell.

"Again!" Dean said with a smile. Akira grinned in spite of himself.

"Locomotor Mortis! Titillando!" He cast these spells without too much power behind them. "Expelliarmus!" As he saw Dean deflect these spells to the side he put some real power into his disarming spell. Dean focused on the spell and with deflected it over his head. "Wow."

"That was tricky," Dean said. "You intentionally weakened the first two spells." Akira looked at where Dean had deflected the spells and his eyes widened.

"Even with that, every spell you deflected hit a target," Akira observed, seeing three targets behind Dean swinging. They were at different heights and distances. "How?"

"Well, it just makes sense. I assign a number to each spell depending on the effect and power. Akira opened his mouth but Dean forged ahead. "Don't ask me how I do it, to be honest I have no idea how. I know where the targets are, and if I know how powerful the spell is and what it is, I can use the appropriate amount of power to change the angle and hit the target I'm aiming at."

"That's remarkable," Akira said quietly as he studied Harry's friend. He had not had too many interactions with the dark-skinned wizard who was studying his handiwork. "I think I know a student who might be willing to do some more practice with you, if that's acceptable." Dean nodded and Akira returned 10 minutes later with Adrian Pucey.

The 6th year Slytherin was a challenge to Dean, as he mixed in non-verbal casting and had an extensive repertoire of spells. Akira had encouraged him to use anything that would not cause lasting damage, and Dean was forced to dodge often. He had even been hit a few times, but it seemed like he was having fun.

Later that night Akira discussed what he had seen with Harry's grandmother. They had graded all of Harry's tests and although his history of magic had been a Poor, every other class had been a pass, with his charms, herbology, and astronomy all registering somewhere near or in the O range. It had been quite a remarkable improvement which made both professors thrilled.

"I'm telling you Minerva, it was remarkable. By the end he was deflecting spells he had never learned. He saw something once or twice and he understood it. I think Mr. Pucey hit him once in the last 5 minutes. I never would have expected it."

"I understand that the non-verbal aspect is quite impressive," Minerva added. "Spell deflection onto targets is not unheard of, but to do it as his age is remarkable."

"Trust me," Akira said. "You might as well drop him from all non-spell his classes next year. He won't be able to focus on them."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there are four distinctions of skill my father uses. Most people are normal, whether using martials arts, magic, or magic martial arts." Minerva nodded in understanding. "There are three more distinctions. Geniuses, like my brother." He held up one finger. "Everything comes easier to them, and when they apply themselves they are simply more powerful and skillful than their classmates."

"Genius?"

"I suspect Harry is one, as do both his masters. He will outstrip us all in the near future and is already close to defeating me in our spars. Although they have never fought, my father believes Dumbledore is probably near the top of the Genius spectrum. However, he will never be able to achieve the highest level of skill."

"Which is?" Minerva asked.

"Naturals. They have total control over magic and can combine it quite effortlessly with fighting. It is simply poetry in motion, and there is nothing they can't do. They are once in a generation talents."

"You suspect Mr. Thomas is a natural?"

"Not at all," Akira commented. "Naturals do not bloom late, and if he was a natural he would be done with school by the end of his first year. In all his years and travels, my father has only met two man in that echelon, and never have been defeated to my father's knowledge."

"One of them is Nambung?" Minerva asked. Akira nodded. "Who is the other?"

"An American named John Eagle," Akira said. " He defeated my father in a spar three years ago, quite easily. It was quite the shock. But no Mr. Thomas is not a natural. Dean is most likely a prodigy."

"A what?"

"A prodigy. They are not so uncommon and you have probably met quite a few. They are usually fairly average, except for unmatched excellence in one field. They usually see the world in different ways than your average person. In the muggle world, the most common are math prodigies. I suspect if Mr. Thomas had grown up in the muggle world he would fit that description."

"None of this explains why I should drop him from all his classes," Minerva said.

"As he grows into his power and his knowledge grows, very little else will interest him. Hopefully the new group of friends will keep him grounded, but it might be hard for a little while. Often these people drift away from the world and other people, consumed by their desire to master the craft. If Dean is a true prodigy in spell misdirection, then nothing else will matter. The fact that he was unsuccessful occasionally means he is not a true prodigy."

"But he will still be above his classmates?"

"Not in casting spells or going on the offensive, or even defending. He will still be at the same level with all of his other work, if he can be bothered to do it. But when he truly dives into understanding his ability, it won't matter. Aside from shielding or avoiding from the unforgivable, close to nothing will be able to hit him if he sees it coming. He'll need private instruction, and probably a significant other or important friend to keep him in the real world."

"I never would have bet on Mr. Thomas to develop unusual skills," Minerva admitted. "As his head of house, I'll keep an eye on him to confirm it, if you don't mind."

"I hope you do," Akira told her. "I suspect that I am right, but it could be an anomaly. You can never tell with prodigies. Some of them don't realize their skills until adulthood. Mr. Thomas may have never realized this ability if his mother was not a math teacher."

"Yet another illuminating conversation," Minerva noted. Akira nodded ruefully. "Magical Britain must seem so backwards to you."

"At times, but it is not like Japan and Asia are free of problems," Akira admitted. "None of this changes what we discussed earlier." Minerva nodded sadly. As they were essentially relatives and both cared for Harry, they were united in their desire to help the boy. At the same time, it had led to a huge fight a few weeks ago. Akira had explained that after the tournament, he would try to convince Harry to return to Japan with him and complete his school there.

After her fury calmed and she had time to reflect on the argument, the transfiguration professor was forced to admit Harry's brother had some valid points, and if Harry was truly willing to leave and decided he was done with Britain, she would send him on his way and hide her tears. That did not mean that she would not try to convince him to stay in ways both subtle and overt over the year and that she might not follow him regardless of how it affected Hogwarts. But she would not stand in her grandson's way if his heart was set on leaving the continent.

"You know I will fight for my grandson to stay," Minerva told him.

"If you didn't, I would take him away without your knowledge," Akira said pointedly. Minerva nodded. "Look, I know it is a tough reality, but the fact remains that he would learn more and be infinitely safer if he comes to Japan with me."

"I don't think that Harry is willing to hide behind other people," Minerva said.

"I know," Akira said. "But I still worry.

"If you didn't," Minerva explained, "I would keep him without your knowledge."


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: I have updated my profile to contain a whole bunch of information. Go check it out if you have time, and if you want to see a specific story, feel free to PM me. If I get a bunch of messages for a certain story, I may start posting that concertedly with Harry Kicks Ass**

**Creature Classification-XXXXX These creatures are known wizard killers and are impossible to train or domesticate.**

Chapter 39: Little Boy 2.0

New Year's Day, 1995

Even the weather couldn't ruin Fleur's new mood. She had intended to spend some time on reflection after the "New Year's Party," but the world had conspired against her. Even if she wasn't upset by the results.

The last few days had been incredibly hard for Fleur, for a variety of reasons. That last moment at the ball when Harry took her in his arms and kissed her had her head in the clouds. She had been upset that Susan had stolen "her Harry," but she was convinced they would get a chance to talk before the break was over, to confirm his feelings and to solidify new relationship. But her thrill over the feeling of Harry's lips on her made her lose all control of her allure, and her return to the ball without Harry on her arm was disastrous.

It had started with a few boys and Fleur had tried to reign in her allure. Some had returned to their dates, but the weaker ones remained. Some of them were just drooling as they stared at her, others were convinced that she was there to tell them she loved them. Fleur spent 10 minutes fending them off with her words, but eventually had to use her wand on her retreat to the carriage. The most stubborn suitors had to be stunned.

The commotion led to the blonde boy who had taken part in her assault coming by with his cadre of friends swinging by. With Maxime leading her away, his biting comments about her inability to have a real boy interested in her without her allure cut her to the core. Of course Harry had been busy the next few days and Fleur had not been able to have a word with him. Only a discussion with her mother had roused from a downwards spiral.

The discussion had quick and to the point. Harry had kissed her back. He had been able to hold a rational conversation. Despite Fleur's attempt to engage him physically, he was able to keep hold of his emotions and try and have a discussion. Apolline Delacour did caution Fleur against trying to coerce Harry into physical intimacy, despite Fleur's desires. It took a few firm words to remind Fleur that the man she was in love with was indeed a boy, despite his increased maturity. She certainty did not see him as a little boy anymore, both through her actions and the thoughts she kept hidden in her mind involving the two of them and a scarcity of clothes.

It would have been much easier if Harry was even a year older at 15. Fleur knew girls who had a promise ring at age 15, even if they often did not go on to stay in that relationship. Her mother moved quickly to cut off that line of thinking. She knew that if Fleur was to get some kind of commitment to the future from Harry, nothing would stop her from dragging him back to her carriage and ensuring their feelings were mutual without words and making a mistake she might be unable to take back.

It had taken until New Year's to get her emotions under any semblance of control. Then Harry had to go and get her the most perfect present. He seemed to understand how hard it was to hold onto her allure, keep herself pinned in. But now there was no worry. Hopefully it would be easier to make friends now.

There was really not a point. She needed to see Harry, talk to him, feel his lips on hers, make sure that no one else would dare steal the boy from her. Age difference was something that mattered less and less the older you got. There was a small part of her that wished she could ensnare him with her allure on full blast, although that would be entirely incongruous with the Harry she was head over heels for.

The rational part of her mind knew that she needed to move slowly. She left the carriage with every intent of speaking to Susan and maybe Hermione, to investigate the best way to approach Harry to make sure she didn't scare him away. It was a good plan, and now that her allure was under some form of control, Fleur suspected that if Hermione and Susan couldn't provide the necessary information, his dormmates might provide the information somewhat unwittingly.

The well-thought out plan went out the window the moment she saw Harry sitting alone on a rock overlooking the lake. The meeting at Gringotts must have been hard for him, enough for Neville and Krum to leave him alone to his thoughts. But they were his friends, and Fleur would be more than a friend. She wouldn't accept anything less.

Fleur walked over to the rock and sat next to him. Harry was completely motionless and when Fleur flicked her glance to him, she saw his eyes were closed. He almost looked asleep, and for a moment, Fleur wasn't sure if he was indeed asleep. His chest moved up and down slowly as if to indicate steady breathing.

"Hello Fleur," Harry said softly, without opening his eyes.

"How did you know it was me?" Fleur asked.

"I guess I just do. I don't know many women who glide so effortlessly when they walk." Fleur couldn't hold back her blush. Harry said stuff like this occasionally, and since he was unaffected by the allure, it made Fleur feel beautiful in a way that she had never felt before: like she couldn't breathe.

"Thank you." Harry inclined his head slightly. "So why are you sitting on this freezing cold rock?"

"The visit to Gringotts," Harry said. "It was tougher than I expected. It's good I made friends this year before the visit. I feel like I owe all of you a summation of the visit. I wouldn't expect Neville to keep it from Hannah. He already knows some of my secrets, and to ask him to keep more would be unfair to their relationship. And if Hannah knows, everyone will know soon enough. I like her, but she is a pretty bad gossip. If I take the chance to explain to our little group, I can at least ask for it to stay a secret."

"Much like the basilisk?" Fleur asked. Harry had told the champions the story about the basilisk. She could tell he had left something out, as could Krum and Cedric. After Harry had left for his next class, the remaining champions had discussed the clear omission of yet unknown knowledge and decided the remarkable story about slaying a massive XXXXX creature was enough.

"Something like that," Harry replied. "Enough information for everyone to have some understanding, but keeping some things back."

"So many secrets," Fleur remarked. "Does anyone know them all? Is there someone you confide in completely? Perhaps Hermione?"

"Trust me Fleur, I have this discussion with Akira many times," Harry told her with a slightly bigger smile. "I love Hermione. I would jump in front of a killing curse for her, and I know that she would do the same for me." At this Fleur had to hide a grimace. It hurt to hear Harry describe another woman like this, even if he was convinced it was platonic and the girl in question currently had a boyfriend. Cedric had confided in her and Krum that if Harry and Hermione ever decided to act on what he was convinced were hidden romantic feelings, he wouldn't stand a chance. "But even she cannot know everything."

"Why not?"

"It would be an unfair burden to her." Harry heaved a heavy sigh and leaned back on the rock until he was supine and looked up at her. "It would be an unfair burden to anyone."

"I would take your secrets," Fleur blurted out. "I would be happy to help you bear the burdens."

"That's sweet," Harry said with the smile that Fleur's heart do somersaults. "Maybe in time. But we do not know each other all that well. Even though at times, it feels like…" Harry trailed off, his eyes becoming unfocused.

"Feels like?" Fleur prompted.

"Feels like we will become an important part of each others lives," Harry finished after allowing the silence to stretch out." Fleur took a deep breath, steadying herself. If there was ever a time to try and understand Harry's feelings, this was the perfect opening. She could tell from his lopsided grin and the fact that he ran his hand over his hair, trying to straighten it, that he was well aware of the opening he had given her.

The house of Gryffindor, according to her new Hogwarts friends, was the house of the brave. Harry was referred to as being the metaphorical poster boy of those actions, not to mention the literal posters many young witches had plastered to their wall. There were many stories of his bravery, not to mention the hundreds of unconfirmed rumors of his many actions that flew through the castle. For some unknown reason, Fleur realized that facing a dragon or a basilisk was par for the course for Harry. But the courage to be emotionally vulnerable and honest was not a tool he had. She would have to take the first step.

"Harry I feel the same way," Fleur told him. "You give me all these compliments and there is no hint that you are being pulled in by my allure. It is hard for me to stay level headed around you. I desperately don't want to scare you off, but I want to be honest about my feelings."

"I don't think you can scare me off if I can remain cool in the presence of a dragon," Harry asserted.

"No, that is normal for you. Dragons, basilisks, dementors, those are things you take care of with a simple flick of your wand," Fleur snapped. "But emotions are different. I can tell, Harry. If I told you I am falling in love with you, you would flee faster than a unicorn from-" Fleur gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth. Harry's eyes went wide and he instantly levered herself off the ground.

"You are falling in love with me?"

"No, Harry." Harry's body seemed to sag in relief. "I fell in love a long time ago. With Veela, we can tell. I am completely and totally in love with you. Now and forever."

"Ok, hold on back up," Harry's eyes now held panic in them. "Uh, what? Now and forever, love?" He looked unsteady on his feet. Fleur reached out to try and settle him but Harry knocked her hand away. Fleur felt tears fill her eyes. If Harry rejected her without hearing her out, she didn't know what she would do, but it wouldn't be good.

Harry was reeling. Of all the things that had happened today, this was the most unexpected. He tried to rationalize what Fleur was saying and realized that if she had told him this on a different day, once where he hadn't learned about the Potter Wealth and his family's history with Gringotts, he would be able to deal with revelation with more poise. Apparently, he had an account manager, something that was new to him. He also had taken the opportunity when Krum and Neville were exploring the Peverell vault to talk to Kurlok about the possibility of getting a copy of his parent's will, and the goblin had said he would work on attempting to get it soon.

He tried to push all of that out of his mind. Fleur looked deadly serious, and he could see she was upset by his apparent rejection. Regardless of how he felt about Fleur, at the very least she was his friend, and deserved as much attention as he could muster at the moment. He took a few deep breaths, finding the lake in his mind but the ripples on the lake from Fleur's confession didn't help him regain his center. Nevertheless, he was a little more composed now.

"Look… I can only promise I will listen," Harry said. He was still standing, and he had trouble looking straight at Fleur and meeting her eyes. "Nothing more."

"Well, as I am sure you are well aware of, it is tough for Veela to find men who can resists our allure completely. Both Victor and Cedric, who you must agree are quite impressive can not resist my full power the way you can."

"I've seen them resist your allure, even if it is not at full blast," Harry told her.

"And you have seen it more recently?" Fleur asked. Harry took a moment to think, and then realized Fleur was right. He could resist the allure with no problem, but he could still sense the subtle pull.

"You are right," Harry admitted. "Now that I think about it, your allure seems to be getting weaker."

"There are only two things that makes a Veela's allure weaker Harry." Fleur explained. "One is pregnancy, and trust me, I would know if I was pregnant."

"Yeah, that would be an interesting surprise."

"The other thing can only happen when we find someone who is a suitable… for lack of a better word, mate." Fleur grimaced at the last word. "I know that using mate makes Veelas sound like beasts, so maybe partner?"

"No I understand what you are saying," Harry told her. "And you are saying I am that acceptable partner?"

"Yes," Fleur said. "You being able to resist my allure that first day in the hall, the moment our eyes met when my name came out of the cup was my first sign. At that moment my Veela magic latched onto you and when I started to get to know you, my magic accelerated my feelings. It happens for all Veela. When they start to have romantic feelings for someone, their feelings accelerate, and their allure becomes weaker until the relationship becomes more formal."

"I guess I'm honored, but Fleur I don't feel the same way as you," Harry told her.

"I don't expect you too," Fleur said. "You barely know me, like you said. The fact that you even feel some form of connection and that you were willing to kiss me back at the ball was all I needed to know. As long as you don't have a secret girlfriend?"

"No secret girlfriend," Harry confirmed.

"Ok, then it's my turn."

"Your turn to what?"

"Make you fall in love with me," Fleur said with a careless flick of her hair. Harry couldn't stop himself from taking a step back in surprise, but Fleur looked unaffected by his rejection. "It will be fun."

"Fun?"

"I've never had to make someone fall in love with me before. I'm sure it will be an adventure." Fleur stood and with a speed that surprised Harry she leaned in and kissed him gently. She withdrew after a few seconds and gave him a smile that left him totally immobile, nearly flooring him before walking away.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

Harry walked back to the Gryffindor tower in what could only be described as a fugue state. His legs moved and he managed to say the password, but his mind was otherwise occupied. Rather than bother with explanations, he grabbed Hermione's arm, hauled her up from the couch in the common room and effectively dragged her back up to the room of requirement, which he remodeled into a room where he and Hermione could talk privately.

"Ok, what is so important?" Hermione asked, plopping down on the couch the room had provided for Harry. Harry sat next to her, trying to find the words. "Are you ok Harry?"

"I think so," Harry said. "Just a lot to deal with the last few hours."

"Start from the beginning," Hermione suggested. So Harry did, starting with the visit to Gringotts. This led to the revelation that Dumbledore had been hiding his Gringotts communications from him. Harry then told Hermione about his massive wealth, which barely affected her. Harry was reminded of how wonderful of a friend Hermione was when the thing that had the biggest effect on her was the fact that he might get a copy of his parent's will soon.

"Well, that is a lot to handle," Hermione said.

"Oh, that is part one of the weirdness that has been my day. Most of things I just told you I will tell the rest of our friends. Probably not the extent of the wealth or the fact I am getting my parent's will, but most of it. This next thing you have to promise you will keep a secret."

"Of course Harry," Hermione said, and Harry saw she was a little hurt at that. "I know I said I was sorry about the letting out the truth about the basilisk earlier this year-"

"Already forgotten," Harry cut her off, realizing his mistake. "I trust you completely Hermione. Don't worry about it. I just wanted to distinguish this new information from my bank records."

"Oh. That makes sense. So what is this new information?"

"Believe it or not, apparently I have an admirer." Harry told her the entire conversation with Fleur verbatim, and also let her in on most of the discussion he had with Fleur after they had left the public eyes of the ball. Harry expected her to jump in at some point, but she listened attentively. When he was done, Hermione looked at him with curiosity.

"Harry, I have to say I'm a little confused," Hermione admitted.

"Was something unclear?" Harry asked.

"Not at all," Hermione countered. "I understood all of it, but I'm not sure you do. After realizing Fleur was a Veela I did some research, and while most of this is news to me, it seems to line up. But that's not why I'm confused."

"Mind letting the rest of the class in?"

"Why is this bothering you?" Hermione replied. Harry stopped for a second. Of all of the possible ways Hermione might have responded, this was not what he expected.

"Because I barley know her!" Harry retorted. "Isn't saying she is in love a little crazy?"

"Maybe a little, but since you can't read her mind I would suggest taking her words at face value. It's not like she is going to slip you a love potion. She said she is going to make you fall in love with her? What's so bad about that?"

"It just seems a little crazy," Harry said. "I mean, we are 14."

"She is 17, and marriage seems to happy early in the magical community. I mean, even Sirius might have gotten married young if not for his imprisonment." Harry glared at her. "Sorry, not helping. Continue."

"Thank you." Harry took a few breaths, steadying himself. "Love is a big deal. I thought I loved Daphne, but after we broke up, I realized love is more than just initial attraction. I liked Daphne an awful lot, but the jump from like to love is massive. You need a lot more from your partner."

"While this is all fascinating and I'm happy you trusted me with this, I'm curious why you brought this to me," Hermione added.

"Hermione, you are the only person I can really talk to. I suppose Sirius or Neville could be that way too, but I don't know them like I know you."

"Harry," Hermione responded, "that isn't true. You talked to Ron all the time before this year."

"Correction," Harry said. "I talk with Ron. It's not the same as when you and I talk. I don't tell him my problems or concerns or talk about the future in an abstract sense. I never have. You have always been the voice of reason and all the best advice comes from you."

"If it's advice you want, then I'd say be open to letting Fleur win you over," Hermione said. "She is clearly a powerful and smart witch, or the cup would not have chosen her. I may not know her well, but I like Susan, and Susan knows and likes her. I suspect that from what I see you like her too." Harry tried to hide a small blush, but Hermione saw it and crowded in triumph. "I knew it!"

"It's not that," Harry tried to protest. "I do like her. She is funny, compassionate, and she doesn't want a man to take charge or run roughshod over her. If we did start anything and I treated her as anything less than an equal, she'd probably beat me senseless, which I think is awesome. But I don't know how I feel about being hunted." Hermione stared at Harry in shock for a moment, and then started laughing. "Hermione, this isn't funny."

"You are right, it is hysterical," Hermione told him. "Harry, you have been hunted ever since the end of first year. The number of girls who have come up to me asking to be introduced to you is staggering." Harry gave her a skeptical look. "I'm being serious. At least every girl in our year at one time or another, and I think almost every girl in the year above or below. Including Slytherins. Fleur is just the first one to be up front about it and talk to you rather than Ron or I. After everything I have heard about her, trying to fall for her isn't all that crazy."

"And breaking my godfather out of custody twice is totally sane? I'm not the poster boy for not acting insane" Hermione swatted him on the arm. "It worked out, didn't it?"

"That's not the point!" Hermione yelled but now it was Harry's turn to laugh. "Fine. So, are you going to?"

"Going to let her try and convince me to fall in love?" Harry shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"What?" Hermione was surprised her argument had failed. If she was being honest with herself, she preferred Harry with Fleur a lot more than the likely alternatives, which in her mind would be getting back together with Daphne or potentially Susan Bones if her red-head friend ever got the courage to tell Harry she had a crush on him. She couldn't put a finger on why, but something about the idea of Harry with Fleur sounded right to her.

"If Fleur wants now and forever, she will have to drag me over the line all on her own fighting and screaming the whole time," Harry explained.

"Oh, I get it. You want to be won over, but you won't make it easy," Hermione clarified for herself.

"Well, that's close enough to the reasoning," Harry told her.

"This is going to be fun," Hermione said. "When I stand up next to you as your best man when you marry Fleur, I am going to tell this story." Harry's eyes got wide at that statement and Hermione left him there stunned, happy that she had actually gotten the last word in with Harry. As much as she would love to stay there talking to him, Hermione had places to go and people to talk to before nighttime. In particular one place with one person.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

After being guided inside the carrage and left outside Fleur's room Hermione almost abandoned her mission. Talking to Fleur was unnecessary and would certainly not get her anything personally. But Hermione knew she was doing this for Harry's sake. He could just never know. Hermione pulled together all her Gryffindor courage and knocked.

"One moment," Fleur's voice called, and Hermione gathered herself. The door swung open and Hermione saw Fleur with the new necklace around her neck. "Hermione?"

"May I come in?" Fleur opened the door wider and Hermione strode into the room. "Nice place you have here."

"It's ok," Fleur said. "How do you like my new necklace?"

"The necklace is gorgeous, and Harry is wonderful at getting presents, that is not why I am here." Hermione indicated two of the chairs in Fleur's room. "Can we sit down?" Fleur took the seat across from Hermione and looked at her curiously. "Well, first I have to be honest."

"Honest?"

"Harry told me everything." Fleur looked at her with suspicion. "Everything you two talked about the night of the ball, and everything you said to him today. Don't worry, I have no intention of meddling in your quest to get Harry." At that Fleur's suspicion faded and was replaced with the blush of embarrassment. "I actually think that being forward and honest about your feelings might be the best way to make Harry think about you romantically."

"He told you everything?" Fleur was clearly mortified.

"Harry and I don't really have secrets from each other. Well," Hermione stopped, correcting herself, "that's not true. We have secrets. I should say there is nothing that we can't share with each other. Everyone thinks we are destined to be together forever, and they are not wrong. But I don't want to snog Harry," Hermione explained. It was a lie, but in her opinion a necessary one.

"I think I understand," Fleur acknowledged cautiously. "But that is not the reason you came here, no?"

"It is not," Hermione said. Fleur leaned forward and Hermione saw anticipation sparkling in the French woman's eyes. "Now and Forever? How can you promise that?"

"Hermione, what do you know of Veela?" Fleur asked. Hermione racked her brain but could not come up with a lot. "Probably not all that much, which is not a knock on your intelligence. There is not a lot of real information on us. There are many books and articles calling us nasty things, from man-stealer to beasts whose job it is to please men. When you are Veela, you get used to that."

"You shouldn't have to," Hermione protested. Fleur gave her a patient smile. "It's wrong."

"It is, but that will not change overnight," Fleur informed her. "At the moment, I do not care about public perception. That is not important at the moment. Right now my attention is much more focused. I can promise Harry now and forever because that is how Veela are. My magic will draw me to him. Every admirable quality that might attract other girls is even more attractive to me."

"So is he ensnaring you? Almost like a reverse allure?"

"Not in the slightest," Fleur said. "If I wanted to fight my feelings, I could and they would go away in time. But I don't want to fight them. I simply want Harry to feel the same way as I do about them." Fleur could see from the look on Hermione's face that Harry's best friend was far from convinced. "Hermione, you are dating Cedric, correct?"

"Something like that," Hermione replied, looking down to hide a small blush.

"When he enters the room you feel a little happier? When he looks at you like you are the only girl in the world your heart does flips? The small things he does like holding the door or just asking how your day is every time you see him? It makes you happy, right?"

"Yes, of course I am happy that he takes an interest in me and my life," Hermione snapped back. "Is that wrong?"

"Of course not," Fleur said. "What I am trying to say is that Harry makes me feel like that even if he doesn't share the depth of my feelings. Pretend for a moment that Veela magic had nothing to do with this. Would you be averse to me pursuing my feelings for Harry?"

"I guess not," Hermione managed to stammer.

"I think that perhaps you are worried because in all the time you have been around Harry you see girls fawning over him but never taking action," Fleur commented. Hermione didn't say anything, so Fleur continued on. "You look out for Harry as his best friend, as you should. You saw as much as any of us how after he and Daphne split up how he was hurt."

"Harry was fine after Daphne ended things," Hermione protested.

"You do not truly believe that," Fleur claimed. "He threw himself into other things to keep busy, but if I can tell, you could as well. Only now is he starting to truly come to terms with it. He was hurt and it makes you nervous to see another relationship developing. You don't want to see him be hurt again, because when he is hurt it affects you just as much as him." Hermione could only listen as Fleur's comments drove home like nails. "There is nothing I want less than to hurt Harry."

"I get it, but it's hard," Hermione tried to explain.

"I cannot begin to understand the depth of your friendship with Harry," Fleur agreed. "I have never had a friend as close as you are, neither boy or girl. I have no interest in trying to take him away from you, even if his feelings someday mirror mine. But I hope that I can be a big part of making him happy in the future. In fact, I was hoping I could get some advice from you as to how to best approach Harry."

"Well, no harm in giving you advice I guess," Hermione muttered to herself. "I would suggest thinking through every action. While I appreciate you wanted to be up front about your feelings, you forced Harry into a corner. What he did is pure Harry. When you put him in a corner, he does the one thing you don't expect: turn down a Veela. So always give him an out but be persistent."

"I think I can do that." Hermione and Fleur smiled at each other, having come to a tentative accord. Maybe, just maybe, Fleur would be good for Harry.


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: Another Loooooong Day finished. Next few chapters are going to cover a lot of ground. We are heading into the truly Kick-Ass part of the story now that I have started every major thread at Hogwarts. If you have been underwhelmed by the amount of actual fighting, may I point out this story is tagged as romance and friendship? But by chapter 50, I will have added a lot more fighting scenes, so here we go.**

Chapter 40: Disappearing Act

January, 1995

"Today we will be studying the scouring charm," Professor Flitwick proclaimed. "I hope you are all prepared for some serious spellcasting." Harry kept his head down as an involuntary smile crossed his face. Without looking up he knew Lavender was doing the same. When she had come up to the boy's dorm room she had been horrified by the mess that had been created in less than a day. It had taken them 30 minutes, but Harry was now adept at the scouring charm under the strict tutelage of Lavender Brown. Sometimes knowledge and instruction came from the most unusual place.

"Now the incantation is scourgify," Flitwick explained to the class. A few faces were engaged and a few quills were moving, but most of the students were struggling to focus. It was the first day back from Christmas break, and Harry had a lot on his mind. Too much to focus on a charm he already knew.

He looked at Dean who was sitting next to him, and saw his friend was in an entirely different world, so decided not to bother him. Harry had been informed by Akira right before the end of the break that Dean was trending towards prodigy and that if he saw more signs of the talent he should let Akira or Minnie know. Harry was well aware of the distinctions in natural talent, and was a little jealous, but not enough to bring it up to Dean despite his year mate's easygoing nature.

The Christmas break had been a lot of fun. He had gotten wonderful presents from all his friends. Hermione had gotten him a green cloak that matched his eyes that he loved. Dean, Lavender, and Neville had all chipped in to get him a broom servicing kit tailored to his firebolt that was great. Cedric and Krum got him a book on quidditch techniques, with both of adding notes with some kind of joking insult.

Harry had expected Fleur to get him something nice even though it was unnecessary. According to his female friends the necklace he gave her was absolutely stunning, and although he told Fleur she did not need to respond in kind, the present she gave him a day before New Year's was perfect. It was a portkey to be used during his Hogsmeade Weekends to go to Chateau Delacour so that he could visit Sirius, who was in the process of recovering from all his years in Azkaban with first rate healers courtesy of his blood uncle Takashi Hayashi. Only Harry's tight control of his emotions stopped him from tearing up at the thoughtful present.

There had also been quite a few revelations over the break. Two stood out in his mind. First was the fact that his vaults could best be termed as overflowing. Harry had read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens as a kid, and now knew that his resources would make Ebenezer Scrooge green with envy. What's worse, Dumbledore had actively stopped him from learning all this, or even seeing his parent's will. He had gotten a copy of his parent's will from his account manager, but had not worked up the courage to open it yet.

But of far more importance was the depth of the feelings Fleur felt for him, something that he was not prepared to deal with in the slightest. To his surprise, the day Fleur had confessed her feelings to him, Hermione told him to give her a chance. Harry was sure that he did not love Fleur back, but after a quiet night on his own, Harry figured that Hermione had never led him wrong before, and resolved to spend a little more one-on-one time with the French witch, if that was something she wanted.

Flitwick was waving his wand and Harry simply wasn't focused as he stared at the pool of an unknown liquid on the rock on the desk. He half-heartedly waved his wand at the mess and the liquid congealed before vanishing. Harry saw Dean look up and glance at Harry. Dean's rock still had some goop on it.

"Got it in one, huh Harry?" Dean said, uttering the incantation and waving his wand. The liquid remained on his rock.

"Yeah, I guess," Harry said with a small smile. He breathed a silent sigh of relief. Dean was a good friend, but Harry was keeping the fact that he could cast almost every spell he knew silently a secret for the time being at Akira's request. He drew enough attention as it was. The last thing he needed was for students to realize that not only was Harry learning magic far beyond O.W.L level with Akira and Minnie, but also that he could cast it all silently.

Harry felt a tap on his right shoulder and realized he had forgotten that he had a student to his right too. Dean was zoning out, but Daphne, who was sitting next to him today in charms hadn't missed his spell. Harry turned to his only Slytherin friend with an innocent smile on his face. Daphne didn't saying anything in response, but instead pointed at his now clean rock.

"Beginner's luck," Harry said. He felt like he had managed to trick Daphne, but her eyes narrowed, and she mouthed something at Harry. Harry didn't catch it and raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"Casting silently, Harry?" Daphne said, leaning in and whispering in Harry's ear. Harry tried his best not to jump at the accusation. "Neat trick. When did you pick that up?"

"I was just being quiet," Harry lied, proud of how even his voice was.

"Sure," Daphne said, but her voice told Harry she was sure he was lying. Harry forced himself to focus for the rest of the class, loudly saying the incantation every time and making sure to mess up the wand movement a few times, as well as making sure his intent wasn't significant enough to actually succeed. The rock became partially clean a few times when he administered the liquid again, but his success was limited. Across the classroom, Neville and Hermione were being praised for their success.

"Mr. Potter, if you could stay a minute?" Professor Flitwick asks as the class ended. Harry say Daphne frown in frustration as Harry moved past her towards the professor. She had clearly wanted to corner Harry outside of class and grill him on what she thought she saw. But Flitwick had fortuitously provided a way out, and while Daphne would not forget, she would hopefully lose interest. But as Flitwick began to talk, Harry realized he was not out of the woods just yet.

"That was some nice casting, Mr. Potter," Flitwick told him.

"Well, it's a shame that I couldn't get it more than once," Harry said with a fake smile.

"Well no one else is casting silently, not even Ms. Granger," Flitwick replied. "How long have you been able to do that?"

"What?" Harry managed to show a puzzled expression.

"Mr. Potter, if you want to keep your skills secret, I am amenable to assisting you in that endeavor. However, I would appreciate it if you were honest with me," The half-goblin professor told Harry. "So I will ask again. Mr. Potter, how long have you been able to cast silently?" Harry looked around and saw the door was closed and the classroom was empty. He sighed and with a slight movement of his wand he cast a rudimentary privacy spell.

"A few months," Harry admitted. Flitwick already looked impressed by the privacy spell and now looked even more impressed.

"I assume you have been working on this with Minerva in your private sessions?" Harry nodded. "Well, I will discuss this with her. If you can cast silently then you should be doing so in all your classes. Is there a reason that you are keeping this a secret? In the past some of your classmates might have begrudged you any success, but this year I think that would not be the case."

"It's complicated," Harry confessed. It really wasn't that complicated, but hopefully saying that would deter the charms professor. But Flitwick was determined.

"Are you trying to hide your ability from the other champions? I doubt any of the contests will require direct competition of spell exchange, and from what I see from your growing friendship with the others, they would be more likely to help you improve that skill rather than holding it in reserve against you."

"No, I trust Cedric, Victor, and Fleur," Harry snapped.

"Fine," Flitwick conceded, though Harry could tell that much like Daphne, this line of questioning was far from done in the professor's eyes. "Onto another topic, if you have time?" Harry had history of magic next, and while Hermione might slide a snide comment into Harry about skipping it, Harry didn't have any intention of attending the class. But he really didn't want to get into an extended discussion with Flitwick without knowing what it was about.

"I actually have History of Magic. Could we talk after dinner?"

"Of course," Flitwick answered. Harry nodded and headed out the door. He saw Hermione waiting for him, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Ah, you saw through my ruse."

"Harry, just because you don't like history of magic that doesn't mean you can always skip it," Hermione said. She forced him to hurry through the corridor, and the two Gryffindor's caught up with the rest of their year mates. "Besides, I know you are training with McGonagall tonight so you aren't busy right now."

"There are still better ways to spend the time," Harry countered, but his heart wasn't in the argument. Hermione already had her metaphorical claws in him, and he wasn't getting out of class. He wouldn't be surprised to see her sit next to him to make sure he at least pretended to pay attention. Harry would just meditate and clear his mind.

Harry didn't know what caused him to flick his glance over his shoulder. There was no sound or feeling of movement that might indicate an attack. He didn't see any shadow from the torchlight around him, as the sun was still up. No one around him had a change in facial expression. It was just a gut instinct, and he saw the cloaked figure launch themselves at him.

Instinct took over and Harry dropped to his back, extending his legs and catching the would-be assailant in the stomach. He levered his legs and send the attacker flying over his classmates. A few yelped and dodged out the way, and the attacker hit the wall. Harry instantly leapt to his feet, and a small touch to his wand holster shot the holly wood into his hand.

"Out of the way," Harry shouted as the attacker rose. Harry saw a mask on their face. It was not the mask of a death eater which would have instantly prompted Harry to escalate the fight. He didn't recognize the all-black mask and it made him pause as his classmates scurried out of the way. Hermione stepped forward to stand behind him. Under normal circumstances Harry would have welcomed assistance, but as Hermione moved forward Harry saw the glint in his opponent's hand. It was a knife.

"Harry, let me help," Hermione said, but then the attacker was moving and Harry elbowed her out of the way, hearing her yelp in surprise before turning his full attention back to the fight. He dodged the first swipe and as the knife rose for a downward thrust Harry closed the distance, hammering the opponent in the gut twice with his free hand. The assailant stumbled back and Harry flicked his wand to his left hand. He started a movement and his opponent rotated their head to follow the wand but it was a feint, allowing Harry to catch them in the side of the chest with a vicious kick.

They fell back and Harry pursued as he flicked his wand back to his right hand. He had felt significant feedback from his kick, and probably had bruised a few ribs. The opponent blocked a few low blows and Harry responded by dropping to the floor and trying to sweep his opponent from their feet. The response was a jump, which set Harry up perfectly. A normal martial artist might have to wait for the opponent to land and resume their attack, but Harry was anything but normal.

"Depulso," Harry said aiming his wand below him. The floor didn't budge an inch but Harry shot up into the air. His back was towards the opponent, but he had calculated their flight and both feet smashed into the stomach. Harry fired a second banishing charm behind him and he flipped in midair. However his first double kick had more power than he intended and his flipped hammer kick only grazed his opponent.

He landed and to his surprise despite his damage his opponent landed easily as well. More impressively, they still held the knife, moving it slowly side to side. Harry had managed to take the initiative and had dealt some serious damage, but this was a formidable opponent. Regardless, Harry had the measure of the attacker. It was time to speed things up.

"Let's get that mask off," Harry said and jumped towards his opponent, turning his back. He could only imagine the expression under the mask, mostly likely surprise that Harry Potter had presented his back to be stabbed. But Harry had done no such thing. As he jumped, Harry had seen the knife was held low and in the attacker's right hand. He knew that an upwards thrust from right to left was coming and was rewarded when he twisted on his right foot, allowing the thrust to pass by his shoulder and he caught the face of his opponent. He allowed them to roll away from his attack and he extended his fingers, flicking the mask away.

He turned and saw a dark-skinned girl snarling at him. Harry didn't recognize the girl, but obviously she hadn't been expecting him to put up such a strong fight, and certainly had not expected him to get a good look at her face. She had turned down the chance to attack other students and was clearly given a remit to try and kill him but there was no point in taking chances. Now that he didn't know her, it was time to put her down.

"Confrigo, Bombarda, Locomotor Mortis," Harry said, not throwing too much power into the spells. But the sudden change in tactic forced his opponent backwards. With a second to think, Harry flicked his wand towards two suits of nearby armor and said "Oppugno." The two suits of armor clanked off the wall and started towards the girl, who drew her own wand and blew them apart.

Harry had already leapt over the suits of armor and was able to land a full force jump kick in her midrift. He felt his best feedback yet and she rolled to the floor, dropping both her wand and knife. Harry kicked both weapons behind him and dodged a clumsily thrown punch as she rose. He grabbed the outstretched arm and allowed the girl's attack to lead him gracefully into a throw as she sailed down the hall.

"Harry!" Harry turned away from his opponent and saw Minerva racing down the corridor towards him, her wand out. "Are you ok?"

"No problem," Harry said. Then he heard it. The whooshing sound that accompanied speedy movement. He turned and saw the girl only feet from him. He didn't see a wand or knife, so he allowed her to close the distance, grounded himself, and hit her in the jaw with a full-powered uppercut. As she flew into the air, Harry felt light presence on his shoulder, and turned to see a button on his shoulder.

"Huh?" Harry managed to say before he felt the jarring sensation from the button as the portkey activated. Harry managed to think that his master would kill him for turning his back on an opponent and being so careless before his body was forcibly yanked away from the corridor. Hermione, Minerva and the other students stared at horror as Harry disappeared from sight.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Minvera shouted, and the attacker fell to the ground with a gleeful smile on her face. "Hermione, what happened?" Hermione just stood there, totally in shock at seeing her best friend vanish into thin air. "Hermione, snap out of it!" Hermione still stood there in shock.

"She tried to surprise Harry, but he had her handled," Lavender said, realizing Hermione wasn't capable of rationale speech. "He landed a few big hits on her. I have no idea how he vanished."

"I saw it," Dean said, stepping forward and pointing towards the button. "It's a portkey. She put in on Harry as he landed the last hit."

"Portkey!" That roused Hermione out of her stupor. "But professor, it is impossible to portkey out of Hogwarts!"

"Yes, indeed," Minerva lied. That was the common theory, but not entirely true. The headmaster could create a portkey into and out of Hogwarts, and could also grant permission to anyone to do the same. However, that seemed unlikely as Minerva did not know the woman who now lay on the floor with a nasty grin plastered on her frozen face. That led to the far more disturbing possibility.

A portkey, just like most magic, varied in power from the wizard who created it and how much force the wizard put into it. A single wizard could probably not create a portkey that could activate from a touch and break through the Hogwarts wards. Earlier this year, Minerva would have dismissed the possibility outright. But when she quizzed Akira about Sirius's escape, the young Japanese man had explained that the portkey he used to spirit Sirius away had been made by 4 wizards working under his father and Laurent Delacour as bodyguards, and that there were very few wards in the world that could stop it from transporting the intended person.

A portkey usually activated on touch, or when a specific word was open. She needed to figure out what type of portkey this was. Since the woman had apparently placed the button on Harry's body, that probably meant that there had been a codeword. But she needed help.

"Ms. Granger, go and get Professor Hayashi. If he is in class, pull him out. Ms. Brown, the headmaster's office. Tell the Gargoyle I need him and bring him here right away." The two students rushed away to get the teachers. "Mr. Thomas, you saw everything?"

"Yes Professor," Dean said. "Harry was beating her down, but she sacrificed her body to put the portkey on him. I was unsure of what happened until I heard the button fall to the floor. Wouldn't the portkey usually travel with him?"

"Indeed it would," Minerva said. She hadn't even realized how unusual that was. "This is quite a problem." She surveyed the corridor but nothing else made sense. The transfiguration professor had no other solution. She was intentionally underselling the current situation. This was a serious problem, bordering on catastrophic.

"Minerva," Akira said, racing down the corridor "Harry was taken?"

"Yes it would appear so," Harry's grandmother said. "I assume there will be an investigation. I'll have the headmaster floo Amelia."

"That's a start," Akira said. "I'll reach out to my father and he'll send some people too. Harry is resourceful and they obviously wanted to catch him, not kill him. Our first goal is to find him. I heard the portkey is still here? We need to check it and secure it for the investigators."

"Of course," Minerva said, indicating the portkey.

"It might still be active," Akira said. "Grab it together?"

"Hold one moment," Dumbledore said as he strode down the corridor. He waved his wand at the button and frowned. "It is no longer active. I'll take that back to my office and investigate." He reached for the button but found Akira in front of him as Minerva grabbed the button. "Excuse me, Professor Hayashi."

"I'd prefer for professional investigators to take a look if you don't mind, Headmaster."

"Professor Hayashi, we can take this back to your office and use the floo in there to get in touch with your father," Minerva said. "Albus, go call Amelia and explain. Ask her to bring some aurors and an unspeakable. We may need their skills."

Despite the presence of some of Takashi Hayashi's subordinates, some of Amelia's top aurors, and an unspeakable specializing in portkey travel, there were no clues of real substance. The unspeakable was able to tell that the portkey was long distance, and one of the Asian investigators thought it was possible that the magical signature was bad news.

The investigator wasn't sure, but it was very possible that the portkey had deposited Harry in one of the few Asian countries Akira's father had no influence over: The DPRK. North Korea had long been a thorn in his father's side, and they were a rogue nation in the magical and muggle world. It was a hotbed of illegal activity, and whenever senior Asian officials raided dangerous areas with credible intelligence, they found it empty. His father was sure that there were spies throughout the government, which meant that any raid to try and get Harry might get him killed.

"We need Dumbledore," Akira told Minerva regretfully. "He'll need to invade the mind of our captive." Minvera agreed so the captive was transported to the headmaster's office and Minvera revived her after binding her to a chair.

"I hope it does not come to this," Dumbledore said as he gazed at the woman, trying to meet her eyes, but she turned away. "Ahh, so I must be more direct." He stood and drew his wand. "Legilimens!" Albus's eyes became distant and the woman began to struggle against her bonds. The headmaster was silent for a few minutes and then his eyes became focused.

"Did you find anything?" Minerva asked eagerly.

"Unfortunately, there was significant memory modification, and the woman is quite insane," Dumbledore explained. "I fear that Harry may be lost to us. Fawkes?" Dumbledore's phoenix flashed into the room. "Perhaps you could find Harry for us?" Fawkes trilled and flashed away. "He will search for Harry, and hopefully retrieve him for us."

"I hadn't thought of that," Akira admitted. "Very little can stop a phoenix, but this was carefully planned. Were you able to get anything from her?"

"Only snippets of conversation, and a reference to the Vengeful Brotherhood. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Can't say I've heard of that," Akira said. Suddenly his father's investigators stepped forward to two grabbed the woman as a third unbound her. The lead investigator's face showed he was shaken.

"Thank you for your assistance," the investigator said, "but we will be taking control of the investigation."

"You have heard of this brotherhood?" Albus asked.

"That is classified information," he replied. "If we could trouble you for the use of your floo?" Dumbledore nodded and with a dash of floo powder the investigators disappeared with the prisoner.

"My father will find Harry," Akira said. "We can only hope it is not too late."

Word of Harry's attack and disappearance spread around the castle like wildfire. As the students congregated for dinner there was no other topic on discussion. Draco had told everyone in ear shot that Potter was as good as dead. This earned him a slap from Daphne who called him a monster before storming over to the Hufflepuff table to sit with Susan and Hannah.

Meanwhile the Gryffindor table held mainly stoic faces. Hermione had tear stains as Cedric spoke softly to her, and Lavender was making no attempt to hide her tears.

"Harry was protecting us," she told her new significant other. "Otherwise he would have been fine."

"Harry would fight any attacker anyways," Dean replied. "You know that is who he is. Don't worry about it." Similar sentiments were expressed down the table. Krum didn't say much as he mulled the situation over. Kidnappings were not uncommon in the former Soviet Block but rarely were they of such high profile people. Normally there would be a ransom and the person would be returned, and while Harry's wealth made that a possibility this felt different. He could only hope his uneasy feeling felt wrong. He saw the headmaster rise and turned to hear what he had to say.

"Most of you have heard of the events today that transpired in the afternoon. I can only say that all avenues of investigation are being explored, and I can only hope that Mr. Potter returns in time for the second task." Dumbledore sat, and Krum could tell most of his new friends were upset with such a simple explanation.

In the meantime there was not much he could do. There not much point in worrying as it would get him nowhere. He would continue to work on solving the mystery of the egg as best he could. The champions had agreed that while they would work together on solving the clue, they would go about the tasks on their own, only intervening if someone was in serious danger. But for now all he could do with the egg was get a headache from the screaming.

One person at the table was downright angry. Hermione had been mad when Harry pushed her out of the way, but quickly realized as she watched the fight that she would have been a liability to her best friend and that her desire to help Harry had meant that she had allowed her own training to slack. She explained her plan to Cedric and by dinner the plan had been passed around.

Later that night the group congregated in a now empty room of requirement. It included Hermione, Dean, Lavender, Susan, Hannah, and Neville. There were some older students as well from a mix of houses. The entire Gryffindor Quidditch team had arrived, and Cedric and Jason represented the Hufflepuffs, while Cho and Luna had come too. There were no Slytherin's but without Harry, Hermione wasn't surprised to see Daphne not appear. What was a surprise was that Ron and Seamus appeared as well.

"You are all here because Harry was taken today. I was in the hallway with him ready to fight alongside him but Harry stopped me. I realized quickly that I would only hindered him and was outclassed by his attacker, but as Lavender and Dean can attest, Harry was remarkable effective. While I doubt we can learn his fighting style, there is still lots we can do."

"What do you mean?" Angelina asked.

"We train," Cedric explained. "We get stronger as wizards, increasing our power, speed and casting repertoire. Death eaters attacked at the world cup this year, and it is clear that are many more dangerous people in the world."

"I don't know about you, but I never want to be pushed aside again," Hermione added. "When they find Harry, I want to be right next to the rescue team." There was a growl of assent. "If Harry was here, I'd say he should train us, but that obviously won't be happening. So we will share spells and practice, and pair up to fight each other. Does that sound good?"

"Harry can run this when he gets back," Jason said. "But for now I think Hermione should be the head. Any objections?" Hermione frowned at that statement but the room was silent.

"Fine," Hermione said as the silent stretched. She wasn't happy with it, but it made sense. "It goes without saying that this will be a secret from the professors." Everyone nodded even though the reactions were mixed. Neville looked nervous and in contrast the twins had wide grins. "We will be using dangerous spells and dueling is forbidden, so this needs to stay under wraps."

"Ok," Cedric said. "Should we get started?"

"Sounds good," One of the twins said, and everyone looked at Hermione.

"Ok," Hermione agreed. "Let's get started."

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

After what felt like an age Harry landed. He saw a wizard right in front of him with his wand pointed at him, and Harry subtlety dropped his wand as he was bound. He collapsed to the floor with ropes all around him and managed to flick his eyes around the room. There were torches on the wall illuminating his landing spot, and he saw the wizard was now talking to a beast he recognized. The presence of two centaurs unnerved him.

Centaurs were proud creatures who mainly stayed to themselves. They had an unhealthy distrust of wizards and for them to be working with a wizard spoke volumes about how well organized this group was. The half horses also paid inordinate attention to the position of certain stars and planets, and for them to be involved in his kidnapping meant that other centaurs were unlikely to provide assistance.

He felt his hip twitch and knew his wand had returned to the holster. The wizard who had bound him was over-confident and did not know all the features of his wonderful holster. If he was not disarmed or his wand taken, it would return to the holster. Harry had hoped that this would happen and had positioned his hand right by the holster on his hip. The wizard had not used a truly full body-bind, and Harry managed to graze the holster. That was all he needed as his wand snapped into his grasp.

"Flipendo," Harry murmured and directed his wand at the wizard, sending his flying. The centaurs looked around in confusion, giving Harry time to send them both into the far wall. One of them slumped down unconscious, and the other cried out as the collision broke a leg. Harry rose and stunned the now screaming half horse.

Harry glanced around the cell as he unbound himself. There was no one else, and a heavy door with a bar locking it in place. What concerned him was the sight outside the window. It had been afternoon at Hogwarts, and now he could see the moon. That meant that the portkey had taken him significant distance.

"Idiots," Harry muttered as he unlocked the door. As he swung it open he stepped out and swung in a 180 degree half circle, but saw no one in the corridor. He swung the door back closed and pondered the situation. The wizard and centaurs would be up soon, and with no information Harry could risk the possibility of them chasing him down or potentially grabbing reinforcements. At the same time, he did not want to exhaust his magic in case there were indeed more enemies in his new prison.

He locked the door but didn't but a dampening spell on the door. He hoped no one could come check on him, and this seemed like a good compromise. As he jogged through the new environment with a variety of random twists and turned, it all looked the same. He stopped slowly, smacking himself on the head.

"Turns out I'm an idiot too," Harry said with a sigh. "I left him with his wand. Well, I doubt I could find my way back even if that was worth it. Now, as to how to get out of here." He drew his wand again which he had stowed in his new holster and said "Point me Exit," His wand jerked in his hand straight up. "Ok, so I need to find stairs." Harry used the spell again and soon found stairs heading up.

He used the point me spell a few times and continued heading up. Eventually he reached a giant dining hall and saw a huge door in front of him. He hesitated for a second, both curious and cautious. The old Harry would have rushed through the door, but he was smarter than that. He walked up to the door and placed his ear against it. He didn't hear anything, so with a flip of his wand he eased the door open.

"Aguamenti," Harry heard from behind him. He jumped to the left and saw a torrent of water smash into the door behind him. He rolled to his feet and with a tiny tap he was armed. He saw a wizard grinning at him. He said a few words and Harry recognized it as Chinese.

"Sorry, I don't speak Chinese," Harry said in Japanese. "If you are threatening me, I'd appreciate it if you could do it in Japanese."

"Of course, Mr. Potter," his new attacker said in flawless Japanese. There wasn't a hint of an accent, which made Harry shiver a bit. If this man could cast spells in Japanese as well, he would be in trouble. However, his reflexed meant there was a chance he might be able to get the drop on him, and Harry began to formulate a plan. "I expected you to be in your cell right now."

"Yeah, I got out. If you wouldn't mind showing me the exit."

"Hi." Fire sprouted from the man's wand, and Harry was forced back towards a corner by the blasts of fire. He could tell from the heat and speed that he was facing a master. "Hi muchi." A whip of fire appeared from his wand, and with a flick the wand the whip headed towards him.

Harry ducked the attack and silently unlocked his weights which fell to the ground with a loud clanging sound. This surprised the wizard who looked around for the noise. Harry took the moment to close half the distance, and the wizard swiveled around and fired two more blasts. Harry managed to avoid them and get within striking distance. One more blast of fire headed towards him and Harry couldn't dodge.

"Han'ei Suru!" Harry yelled and the fire bounced back towards the other wizard who banished the fire past him. But now Harry was next to him and he threw all of his speed into a straight aimed at the man's jaw. Instead of feeling contact Harry felt his arm grabbed and he sailed over the man's head. Harry flipped in the air and landed with a stumble and felt his side explode in pain.

"I'd appreciate it if you surrender," The man said, his leg extended. Harry felt his side and suspected the man had bruised some ribs. The kick had been as powerful as Akira at 100%, but his form was cleaner and the speed much faster, almost at an unbelievable amount. Harry hadn't even seen it coming. He was fighting a real master, and Harry held back a shiver. He would die, of that he was almost certain. But Harry wasn't going to back down from a fight, not when he still had a chance.

"You know I can't," Harry said with a small smile.

"Very well," the man said, raising his wand. Harry brought up his wand as well and gave a half bow. Then Harry heard an unusual sound, one he had not heard for months. It was a sizzling blast and Harry looked up to see his opponent fall, smoke coming from his body.

"Harry?" Harry heard a familiar voice ask. Harry looked towards the voice and felt his body sag with relief as Nambung raced towards him, a few men in bright blue cloaks behind him. He had no idea what Nambung or the Asian special ops team his master worked with were doing here, but he was safe now.

"Hey," Harry said as his teacher grabbed his shoulders. "Fancy seeing you here." Then he felt exhaustion spread over him and he closed his eyes and sagged into his teacher's arms.

"Captain?" One of the men asked. "Who is this?"

"A friend," Nambung said as he cradled his apprentice in his arms. "I assume you and your men can take care of securing the other men here. If it comes down to it, leave no one alive." The man saluted and the men broke into 3 groups, each heading in a different direction. "Harry what are you doing here?" The world's most powerful magical taekwondo master looked down at the unconscious boy with a mixture of concern and caring. "Let's get you out of here." There was no movement or speech as a sphere of crackling lightening appeared around the two men and then it rushed inwards, the two figures disappearing in a flash of light.


	41. Chapter 41

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: What did you think of the increased action?**

**I really try to avoid it, but this takes some line directly from the book "Goblet of Fire" and movie adaption of "Goblet of Fire." So I'd like to make it really clear that I make no money from this. Literally nothing at all. But in this case a certain amount of similarity is unavoidable, for fairly obvious reasons. Sorry if the rhyming is pretty forced.**

Chapter 41: Frustration and Worries

January, 1995

The egg was starting to drive them crazy. They had tried anything and everything. They had opened it in Hogsmeade. They had tried their best to understand what screaming might be. Krum was now cycling through different languages, Cedric was trying to break the egg, and Fleur was attempting to charm an inanimate object. But still everything was coming up with nothing.

Yet again, Krum found himself in the library, focusing on that stupid egg. He was beyond frustrated by this stupid tournament. He had taken a break from his book, knowing that the task could be extremely dangerous, and it would be hard to write a book if he was dead. But the Bulgarian seeker was starting to get short with his friends for no good reason, which worried people.

It was no real surprise that Luna had managed to avoid most of Krum's ire, and seemed to tolerate his occasional outbursts and mood swings. She often joined him in the library and when there were others the quirky Ravenclaw was usually able to divert his anger. But he was still becoming frustrated for what often seemed no good reason.

Krum thumbed through a book about conversing with centaurs. Despite their ability to speak to humans, he was thinking that perhaps their horse-like communication with each other might hold a clue. Luna sat next to him as she always did looking around through some colored glasses. Apparently her glasses made wrackspurts visible, and she was convinced some of them were in the library.

There was nothing useful about centaur dialogue, so Krum put the book down and started to tap his knee thoughtfully. He had gone through most books at least once but was still nowhere close. He was convinced that looking through books on magical creatures was the right idea. Krum resisted the urge to smash his head against the table in frustration.

"What's wrong Victor," Luna asked him, peering at him through the glasses. "You seem awfully worried recently? Are you still worried for Harry?"

"Worrying about Harry will not get me anywhere," Krum told her. "No. It is this stupid egg and the wailing."

"What wailing?" Luna asked, and Krum realized he had never show Luna the egg. He took it from his bag and opened it for a few seconds. The wailing caused all the students to look up and Krum hastily closed it. The librarian came over and reprimanded him, which Krum accepted stoically. Luna glanced at egg and took off her wrackspurt glasses.

"That wailing," Krum said. "It is burrowing into my skull and now it appears in my dreams."

"Why?" Luna asked. "It seems like an awful sound. Of course it would be awful, given that you are opening it in the library."

"We have tried opening it all over," Krum said.

"But you have to open it in the natural habitat," Luna told him.

"You recognize the language?" Krum was stunned.

"I think so, but I can't be sure until you submerge it," Luna explained.

"Submerge it as in put it underwater?" Krum asked. "Wouldn't that just make it hard to hear and muffle the sound?"

"Then you have to go underwater too, silly," Luna replied with a small laugh. "That way you can hear what the merpeople are saying."

"Merpeople!" Krum smacked his head in frustration. Merpeople speech was famous for being loud and undecipherable above water. "So I have to put this in the black lake to listen to it? Then I'll hear the clue?"

"You could, but the black lake looks awful cold," Luna said. "You could just do it in a bath. That seems much more reasonable." Krum sighed and nodded in agreement. Sometimes Luna saw to the heart of the matter in a way that made him envious. It was a weekend so he had free time. He definetly did not want to miss Charlie Weasley's dragon seminar so he had to hurry.

"Thank you Luna," Krum said, truly grateful. He glanced around but didn't see any fangirls. To be honest, the girls who followed him around laughing early in the year now tended to congregate around Harry, who, to his credit, seemed immune to anything and everything they said. It helped that he was almost never found alone and had a constant screen in the form of his friends but it seemed like Harry could ignore anyone he didn't already know and then disappear when you looked away for a second. But he and Luna were alone so he screwed up his courage and kissed her on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Luna asked him.

"It's to show affection," Krum tried to explain. "Because I like you."

"Do you like me like a friend, or a girl?" Luna asked him directly. Krum rubbed his temples. Luna and her directness were often charming and useful, but right now he really did not want to answer that question, both to himself and Luna. It would be easier if Luna was a 5th or 6th year, but she was 4 years younger than him, and Krum did not to say the wrong thing. Then Victor remembered what Fleur had told him when she talked about pursuing Harry.

"In the end, I don't want him to get the wrong idea," Fleur had said. "I want him to know that I don't want him to be a friend. Also, if I equivocate about my feelings, then someone else might steal him. I think almost every girl in Britain knows what an amazing guy he is, so my situation is slightly unusual. But I can promise that if he gets away from me and ends up with someone else, it won't be from lack of trying on my part." And despite the issues, Krum knew that in his heart of hearts, he did not want to be a friend with Luna in five years.

"A girl," Krum admitted. "Luna, I have never felt this way about anyone before."

"Well, that is a problem, because you are much older than me." Luna scrunched her brow. "But from what I understand from watching our friends, guys who like girls don't kiss them on the cheek." She turned towards him and attempted to bat her eyelashes, causing Krum to laugh a little. "I saw Lavender do this, and then Dean kissed her. Is it not magic?"

"No, it is magic for Lavender," Krum held back a second laugh.

"Well it should be magic for me too," Luna pouted. "So if you won't kiss me," Luna reached out and put her arms around Krum's neck and with a surprising amount of force pulled him towards her and planted her lips on him. Krum was so shocked that he didn't move, and slowly Luna withdrew her lips. "Well, that was quite pleasant Victor. We should do that again later."

"Um…" Krum tried to make his brain work, but it simply wouldn't function properly.

"Uh, Krum?" Krum turned to see Cedric standing behind him with a confused look on his face, but it slowly morphed into what could best be described as a cocky and amused grin.

"Cedric is here to tell you he solved the egg," Luna said. "I'll see you later Victor. We can practice kissing some more." Luna smiled at Cedric and skipped off. Cedric just raised an eyebrow and Krum rose from his seat.

"Not. A. Word."

"Of course not," Cedric said, punching Krum on the shoulder as they left the library, "lover boy."

"Cedric I swear I will hex you until you can't stand straight."

"I won't say anything," Cedric replied, though his crooked grin suggested otherwise.

"You better not," Krum threatened, "or I might have to tell Hermione that you discussed a potential marriage contract with your father over the Christmas break after he tried to set you up with a daughter of his friend on the Wizengamot. I wonder how the strong-willed Hermione Granger will react to that?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Cedric snapped.

"Oh, not so fun when the shoe is on the other foot?" Victor asked with a wicked smile. "So, we have an understanding?"

"Fine," Cedric conceded. "Now, do you want to hear about the clue?"

"You put it under water?" Krum asked. Cedric nodded.

"How did you figure it out?"

"Luna told me. How about you?"

"Actually, it was the strangest thing," Cedric replied. "Professor Moody gave me a big hint. He said I should take a bath with it. To be honest I never would have considered that. I guess Luna figured it out eventually, but still…"

"So what does it say?"

"No idea," Cedric said. "I figure we could all listen to it together."

"Wouldn't it be slightly suspicious if we all went into the lake together? I know people are aware we are cooperating, but it is still a competition during the tasks. I'm sure that Bagman and Crouch won't be a fan."

"That is an excellent point," Cedric said. "Which is why we are not going to the lake. It's freaking cold in the lake. We are going to the prefect's bathroom. We can grab Fleur and head in there. Water is nice and warm."

"The bathroom," Krum asked, a little nervous.

"We can wear swimsuits you ninny," Cedric told him with a laugh. "We don't need be enthralled by Fleur, or Harry might kill us when he gets back." There was a pervasive attitude among Harry's Hogwarts friends that Harry would pop up soon and be totally unharmed. Krum didn't share that opinion but made sure to not share his doubts. "Besides, if the task is underwater we will need to figure out how to deal with water anyways. Maybe a warming charm, and then figure out how to go underwater?"

"Why don't we see what the merpeople are saying first?" Krum suggested. Cedric nodded in agreement and 30 minutes later all three were standing in the prefect's bathroom in swimsuits.

"This is quite pleasant," Fleur said, dipping her toe in the water. "I'm a big fan. Does the password stay the same the entire year?"

"Yes but be careful. Sometimes prefect's come in starkers with no warming, and I can already feel your allure." Cedric explained. "Is it just me, or is your allure easier to resist? You aren't even wearing the necklace."

"That makes sense," Fleur said with a dour look. Cedric and Krum expected an explanation but Fleur opened her egg and threw it in the bath without another word. The two males shrugged at each other and tossed their eggs in as well and hopped into the warm water.

"It sounds quite melodious," Fleur said. "We have to go underwater to hear it?"

"That seems to be the most logical option." All three ducked their heads under water, and then resurfaced almost instantly. "Agh," Krum said. "I guess only one egg at once. Accio Golden egg." The egg didn't move and Krum suddenly started laughing.

"Something funny?" Cedric asked the usually stoic Bulgarian. Krum was laughing unreservedly, something that was quite uncommon.

"Yes, I was just thinking that if the summoning charm worked on the eggs, the first task would have been extremely easy." Both Cedric and Fleur ducked their heads in embarrassment. Neither of them had thought to try the summoning charm before going through their dangerous plans either." "Well, Cedric and I can go down."

"Ok, so now we go under." All three champions heads went underwater and stayed down for almost a minute. "Did anyone get that?" Fleur asked.

"Some of it," Cedric said. I got the second part. An hour long you'll have to find. And to recover what we something. But past an hour, the prospect's black. Then I forget the last line."

"We didn't bring any paper of quills," Krum noted. They returned twenty minutes later with the required instruments, divided up the song, and took notes. When they had the whole thing, they sat there mulling it over.

"_Come seek us where our voices ring and find where we do sing. And while you are searching we wonder if, you know what you surely would miss. You will have to seek us out, to recover that which is precious we do not doubt. But past two circles, the prospect's black and it is too late, for in our possession we will not wait."_ The three champions looked at each other.

"Well, I figured once we heard the clue, it would be easy. If anything, this is worse than the screaming," Cedric commented.

"Nothing is worse than the screaming," Fleur replied, and Krum grunted in response. "But now we have something to work with."

"Ok, so is this where we split up, or do we solve the riddle together?" Cedric asked. All three of them looked at each other. "This is where we needed Harry. Is it weird that someone much younger than us is our default leader?"

"If it was anyone else, I would say yes. Even Hermione, though I understand she is leading your group defense lessons," Krum told him. "Which I am sure she does not like, and is without a doubt looking for a way to shift that burden to you."

"Why me?"

"Because you are a not only a champion, but also a senior student with a strong sense of responsibility."

"Oh." Cedric reluctantly had to agree. The twins were not responsible, and if he was being blunt he was stronger than the two 6th years from the Gryffindor quidditch team, both in spell repertoire and casting ability. He was at a stage where he could cast almost every spell he knew silently due to his one-on-one sessions with Akira, who had suggested that Cedric seriously consider a defense mastery after school.

"But back to both original questions," Krum continued, "Harry is not your typical 4th year. He would defeat each of us in a fight, and from you tell us Cedric he could defeat the three of us combined. Seeing his growth this year, he may beyond us in pure magic by years end. I don't find it at all unusual that he is our leader. I think he would be uncomfortable at that description, but the fact remains that he is without a doubt the primary decision maker. With that in mind, when discussing the riddle, we need to ask ourselves. What would Harry do?"

"What you surely must miss," Fleur said, looking at her paper. "Well, that could be bad. To be honest, I don't know if I have a possession that I would surely miss."

"I don't either," Cedric said. "Maybe my wand, but they wouldn't take that away, would they? Would be hard to complete the task with no wand."

"Well, I certainly don't own him, but I would miss Harry." Fleur had explained what happened with her and Harry to Cedric and Krum before he was kidnapped, thinking that the advice of two boys with a similar level of maturity might give good advice. Their advice had been simple: don't be afraid to act like a typical girl trying to ensnare a boy. Harry had very little experience despite his popularity, and he might fall "prey" to typical tactics: laughing at every attempted joke, making lots of eye contact and smiling, and the subtle touches of his arm that worked for every girl since the dawn of time. "It's crazy how much I miss him and it's only been a week."

"Oh Merlin," Cedric gasped. "What if you don't take it literally? When they say what, change it to who."

"Who you surely would miss?" Fleur asked. "They wouldn't risk people's lives, would they? That would be insane, and completely mad."

"And having to steal an egg from a nesting dragon wasn't?" Krum replied. "I wouldn't put it past them. But for all of us it would be a Hogwarts student wouldn't it? So perhaps we could prevail upon Dumbledore?"

"All of us?" Cedric asked.

"Luna," Krum pointed at himself, "Hermione or Jason," Krum pointed at Cedric, "Harry," he pointed at Fleur.

"But Harry will have to compete," Fleur countered.

"Good point," Krum said. "As much as he wouldn't admit it, if Dumbledore does not look deeper and acts on what he has seen, I suspect you would be Harry's person as well." Fleur tried to hide her blush. "You did have quite a romantic few days over the holidays, did you not?" Fleur managed to barely nod. "Since Cedric would get Hermione, that would leave you. But of course, you both must compete."

"I guess the only person left is… my sister Gabrielle. Oh, that would be horrible. My father would never allow that. She has not matured yet, and it would be so dangerous for her to be in water."

"Don't put it past the tournament organizers to do it anyways," Krum commented. "They seem rather cavalier about safety."

"So then it might be a member of Harry's family?" Fleur asked. Cedric started coughing. "Something wrong?"

"Well, Harry doesn't talk about his family to anyone, but I think Hermione knows a bit. Apparently when she was petrified in her second year, Harry went to talk to her every day for hours, and she remembered and heard everything. Harry's home life wasn't great. Actually that would be underselling it."

"What do you mean?" Fleur asked.

"You may have noticed that even though it is getting better, Harry has a bit of aversion to physical contact?" Cedric mentioned. Fleur nodded. Even though they had kissed, small gestured and small touches sometimes brought tiny flinches from him. "Well, I think that came from his home treatment. Occasionally we used to change clothes after training if we are sweaty, and you notice two things right away."

"One," Cedric continued, "Harry is shockingly well developed. He is not covered in muscles but he does not have an ounce of fat. I think that if you become physical with Harry, you will be quite pleased." This set Fleur into another fit of blushing. "Secondly is that his upper body is covered in scars, and I don't think he got them this summer with the Hayashi's or just during school."

"I don't want to try and push him on that, but I think his home life with his aunt, uncle, and cousin was not a good one. I heard that it was Dumbledore who placed him there from Akira, and from I can tell Akira and his father were furious when they learned how Harry was raised. Our old defense professor learned about his treatment this summer, and he was actually the one who took Harry from that house. I doubt he would open up to us, not at first."

"That's horrible," Fleur said as Cedric fell silent. "And he lived until school and spent two summers with them?" Cedric nodded. "He surprises me more every day. How did he become the caring and noble individual that we all look up to?"

"The mystery that is Harry and Harry Potter is one we could spend a lifetime trying to solve," Cedric said. "Hermione is probably the only person who is close to solving it. She knows what Harry went through, but she has not seen the scars. I think if she did, she would break down." Cedric ran his hand through his hair. "I can't imagine what would have happened this year if Hermione had not believed or supported Harry immediately. He would have been dangerous."

"So Harry's victim and hostage for our underwater adventure is an unknown," Krum summarized, bringing them back on point.

"It would seem so, Victor," Fleur said. "So now we prepare for the task on our own.

"I guess so," Cedric said. "Best of luck to you all." He looked down at his watch. "Charlie's class starts in five minutes!" He exclaimed. All three of them were eager participants who had never missed a class. "We have to go!" Despite the distance to cover to the classroom they managed to get there just before Charlie started his lecture.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

The lecture for the day was one of his best recieved yet. Charlie spent the two hours describing hunting patterns and how dragon handlers made sure that dragons in their respective sanctuaries were well fed despite the massive amount of food they conserved. The first hour covered the facts, and then the second hour detailed he would detail the facts were collected. Most of his lectures were broken up in similar ways.

The lectures on dragons were held on Saturdays or Sundays, but that didn't stop the students from attending en mass. The first few classes had been taught outside, with Charlie and a few other professors creating wonderful illusions. But as the weather turned the classes moved inside and Charlie quickly ran into a problem. The attendance ranged from 30 to 100 students, and the higher number was more and more frequent. Eventually Flitwick got involved and for the 2 hours he would cast an expansion charm on the classroom.

As the most recent class wrapped up and the students filed out the room, most of them excitedly talking, Charlie leaned back, exhausted. Teaching once a week was tiring enough. He had no idea how the real professors did it. He certainly didn't feel like a professor and made it very clear the first class that they should call him Charlie. It didn't help that he knew many of the older years because he went to school the same time of him and gave the class a surreal feel.

There was a staff meeting tonight that Charlie was really not looking forward too, but his old head of house made it clear that he was indeed a member of staff. While he was allowed to be informal in his class and had free reign of his curriculum and class environment, in other respects he was supposed to act as a professor. Unfortunately, that meant eating at staff table instead of with his family and attending meetings, as well as assigning detentions, awarding and taking points, and submitting progress reports. It was enough to drive anyone barmy.

After delaying it as much as possible, Charlie made his way to the headmaster's office for the staff meeting. While he truly hated these, there was a silver lining. Hopefully Akira or Dumbledore might be able to shed some light on Harry's abduction. Charlie felt horrible about it, since one of the secret reasons he had taken the job at Hogwarts was to stop something like the kidnapping from happening.

"Well, let's start with the metaphorical elephant in the room" Dumbledore said as he swept into his office, slamming the door to his private room behind him. "We still have no leads on Harry, or any information on who took him. Professor Hayashi, has your father shared any information about the investigation with you?"

"He actually has," Akira said. "It's very weird. He sent me an encoded message, a very complex code. I'm still working through it, but the first part of the message suggests that at the moment, we should stop searching for Harry."

"He said that?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"The exact words were 'Searching for the boy will not do.' If it was anyone but my father…"

"So what?" Professor Snape sneered. "He has probably run away. The tournament probably got to him since he cheated to get in."

"You say like this every meeting, Professor Snape," Akira commented, cracking his knuckles. "One of these days, I might take offense at the insults you continue to level at my blood brother. That is a closer bond than you have with anyone, so I wouldn't expect you to understand what it means to have real family." Snape sneered at Akira who stared him down.

"Now why don't we all calm down. Severus, please do not antagonize Professor Hayashi. Professor, I would appreciate it if you did not threaten and demean Severus." Both teachers glowered at each other for a moment, but then turned away. "Professor Hayashi, do you believe your father?"

"Once I decode the rest of the message, I will know for sure. But if my first reading is correct, we should put Harry out of our minds for the moment."

"I have some experience with languages and codes, if you would like assistance," McGonagall said. Akira recognized it as a lie from the subtle body language. He was surprised, as he did not know that she could conceal a lie so well. Almost everyone in the room would believe her. Akira suspected that she just wanted to be kept in the loop which he did not have a problem with. Of all the professors in the room, Harry's grandmother was the only one he could trust completely when it came to his brother.

"That would be much appreciated."

"While we are on the subject of Harry, he said something interesting a few weekends ago," Charlie said. "He was wondering if he could come visit me over the summer in Romania and see what the life of a dragon handler was like. I joked that I thought that Harry Potter had better things to do than become a dragon handler, but he was quite insistent."

"We have discussed this Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said. "You are correct that Harry has better things to do. He will return to the Dursleys this summer. It was only through considerable effort on my part that I was able to re-establish the wards on that house. Especially with the threat of Voldemort growing."

"What are you talking about?" Akira snapped.

"Severus?" Dumbledore asked. The potion master slid up the sleeve of his robe, and everyone saw the mark.

"We know that he's a death eater, but what does that prove?" Minerva snapped. Dumbledore looked at the deputy headmistress closely. She had never shown that much aggression towards Snape before. She had simply accepted Dumbledore's reasoning and rationale for a good many things. In fact, Minerva's behavior ever since the beginning of the year had been unusual.

For one, she was significantly more hostile towards Snape on every occasion, often challenging his detentions or point deductions. McGonagall had always been a stern disciplinarian, but she seemed softer and more relaxed with a few students, especially since her personal lessons with Harry. Dumbledore had always counted on her support, but she had cooled noticeably in her support, and while she did not openly attack him, she was not in his corner no matter the cause. In the past if would have been easy to figure out why as Minerva did not have the talent to become a strong Occlumens. But apparently someone had alerted her to his talent, and now she never looked him in the eye, even when she was irate.

"The mark is getting darker and more defined," Snape said. "The dark lord is regaining strength. I suspect soon he will return. He will seek out Potter as his first victim."

"Over my dead body," McGonagall snapped.

"Oh, that will be no problem for the Dark Lord," Snape said. "Do not forget that no one could stop him. If he returns with his full power, there are very few that could stand in his path."

"So Harry will return to the Dursleys," Dumbledore stated. Charlie snorted. "Is something wrong, Mr. Weasley?"

"I just remembered something from this summer. I met Harry on the night bus the day school ended. I thought it was weird that he was taking the night bus home. He was a simple third year then. With his skills now, you wouldn't have a chance at forcing him back to his home."

"I am the headmaster here," Dumbledore stated.

"Speaking of which, we never finished the discussion about whether or not that will remain a fact after this year," Akira said. "Don't make threats you can't back up, old man." Akira sneered at Dumbledore and stormed out of his office. To Dumbledore's surprise, his deputy headmistress was right behind the defense professor.

"Nevertheless, when Harry returns, and I suspect he will do so before the second task, you will discuss this fascination with dragons with him

"It's not surprising," Charlie Weasley said. "Seekers tend to be fairly independent people. Especially with all the scrutiny Harry is under from the media year after year, I understand his desire to disappear off the map for a few years. Dragon sanctuaries are as good a place to disappear as anywhere else."

"Mr. Weasley, this is not a discussion I will entertain."

"You have that discussion with Harry then. I'd bet he will shut you down the moment you mention the Dursleys though. Have fun with that." Charlie waltzed out the office, entirely unconcerned.

"Well then. To other business," Dumbledore said. Some of the other professors gave progress reports and noted students of natural talent and improvement and left. Soon the only people left were Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

"The boy will prove nothing but trouble Albus," Snape repeated insistently. "He is getting worse. The friends he are making are dangerous too. From what I hear his friends are all behind him, and his strength is becoming immeasurable. He may be too independent to control this summer. If he confronts the dark lord soon, he will certainly lose and everything will be lost."

"Have trust, Severus," Dumbledore. "I have plans to make sure Mr. Potter stays the course." Severus Snape nodded and swept out of the office, his cloak swirling behind him, leaving Dumbledore sitting there along. He stood and began to pace. The headmaster found that thought came to him easier when he was moving.

The year so far could only be qualified as a disaster. When Mr. Weasley had spurned Harry's friendship when he came out of the cup, Dumbledore had almost crowed in excitement. But then it all fell apart when Harry was bolstered by a new group of friends and a girlfriend, giving him confidence he had never felt before.

Every time it felt like Harry took a step back, he seemed to take two forward. His breakup with the overachieving Slytherin who made Dumbledore exceptionally nervous was followed by a close friendship with all three champions, all excellent students who would drive Harry to work stronger than ever.

Dumbledore cared for Harry and was amazed at the man the boy-who-lived was becoming despite the mistreatment of the Dursleys' of which he was acutely aware. It had taken a few obliviations of Poppy Pomfrey to make sure that this news didn't spread to people who might act on the litany of injuries Harry had suffered. But Harry was growing into a noble and righteous person who would sacrifice himself when the time was right. At times that thought kept Dumbledore up at night and cut him to the core. But it was necessary.

That one night at the Hogs Head all those years ago had changed everything. Lily and James had gone into hiding at his behest, and with Sirius as the secret keeper there was no chance they would be discovered. It was only to his horror that he had learned that Peter was the secret keeper but rescuing Sirius from Azkaban would cause Dumbledore to release too much information. An innocent Sirius Black was also certain to take Harry and potentially take him away from England entirely. Worse, he had more than enough power and resources if vindicated to vanish from sight and never be heard from again

More than a few of Harry's new friends worried him. The Diggory boy was smart, driven, and intensely loyal to his friends. The Bones girl had power through her family name and knew how to get what she wanted. His growing friendship with Granger made him work harder than ever before. And of course there was the blood tie to the Hayashi family that made any attack on Harry very dangerous.

Dumbledore had scanned the unprotected mind of Dean Thomas and Lavender Brown and had been stunned by what he saw. Harry's physical skills were remarkable, and the headmaster had no doubt that if push came to shove Harry Potter could put up a fight against any wizard in the castle. The thought that Harry might grow too powerful to contain, a concern that Severus consistently voiced was too terrible to imagine. That power combined with carefully controlled aggression was a dangerous combination.

Without the influence of Mr. Weasley, Harry's natural charisma was shining through, and all of those around him were drawn into his orbit. He had always been a naturally skilled wizard, but now Dumbledore was forced to come to terms with a harsh reality. If Harry Potter succumbed to some of his darker impulses, the impulses that caused him to break the French's boy jaw for fun, he might drag all of his friends along with him, and there would be a new dark lord who terrified Dumbledore more than Voldemort ever had.

The headmaster would make sure to find a way to get Harry back to Dursleys. If he was isolated for the summer, perhaps he would revert to the boy he was before. It would be hard on the boy, but it was crucial that Harry return to the noble, self-sacrificing boy he was before, with nothing stopping him from voluntarily dying when it was time.

It broke Dumbledore's heart that he had to do this to a student he had grown quite fond of. He saw a lot of himself in Harry, and if the boy could be steered onto the right path he could have a transformative impact on England if his fate was not already sealed and dipped in a future death. At the end of the day, Harry was a crucial piece in the war that was to come. He didn't have a choice. That thought was the one thing that allowed Dumbledore to justify any of his thoughts. But just barely. After all, it was all for the greater good.


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: I'm trying my best to show Dumbledore as manipulative, but not evil. He has just made up his mind and won't change it, rather than just a horrible person. It's hard because generally I am not his biggest fan, and I read a theory that Harry was supposed to meet his parents at the "train station" after he dies, which I liked because then it makes Harry's choice to return much more heroic.**

Chapter 42: The Hunt

February, 1995

"I think we have a solid lead," Akira told McGonagall. They were sitting in Dumbledore's office with along with the headmaster who perked up at this news, as did the deputy headmaster. It was one of the first times McGonagall had reacted at all over the past month. Every student had noticed the dramatic change in the Transfiguration teacher ever since the disappearing act of the Gryffindor golden boy.

Usually such a firm instructor, good at explaining the necessary theory and making sure her students came out every class with more knowledge she had grown more listless with every passing week. She was now so motionless that she barely mustered enough energy to put new instructions on the board and didn't bother to answer questions. Even the Slytherins were unnerved by the total apathy of the Gryffindor Head of House.

For most of the students there was surprise but no real understanding. It was clear that McGonagall had been in Harry's corner all year, especially since she was his personal instructor for the tournament. It would have made sense for her to grieve, but then refocus, like she had when her favorite student had been petrified in second year. Now, it got worse every day. It seemed like she was wasting away.

A few of the students knew most of the story. McGonagall had gotten her family back this year, which it seemed like she would never have again. Neville and Daphne understood even more, as the revelation of family gave McGonagall the vague hope that Harry might have a child to carry on the line. It was even possible that a daughter of Harry's might convince a husband to take the McGonagall name with Harry's influence. Being the son in-law of the boy-who-lived would be an enticing prize to give up your family name.

There was one person who understood the entire story. Akira had known the bare bones of the story of McGonagall's family, how her parents had struggled with the different worlds and how she had fallen in love. Despite the advice of her parents she was prepared to spend her life with a muggle, only to be forced to give up the result of her first and only true love. Now he knew the whole story, and it made a lot sense to him why Minerva would be nearly broken by the loss of her family again.

Even though they were tied together by interest in making sure that Harry truly enjoyed, and more importantly, came through the year unharmed both of them had played their cards close to their chest. Akira knew that he had to keep the fact that his father was applying for magical guardian of Harry quiet, and when the application when through Harry would never return to Hogwarts. If Harry was truly set against leaving the godforsaken island he knew as the U.K. there would be a discussion. However, his father planned to take Harry to Japan for the summer, and Akira would not be surprised if by the end of the summer Harry was begging to transfer to Mahoutokoro.

The dive into the bottle had caused Minerva to really explain what the revelation of Lily and Harry's blood relation meant for her. She didn't begrudge Akira the fact that he wanted Harry out of England for good, but there were things she didn't know, reasons that Dumbledore had such a strong interest in the boy, why Harry had to stay. She did explain that if Harry decided to move she would never leave her family again and would move to Japan with him, without regard for the consequences to Europe. Akira was tempted to reveal his father's plan in regards to guardianship, but you never had to take back or apologize for something you never said.

So the two teachers struggled with Harry's abduction in different ways. Akira focused on helping with the investigation into Harry's whereabouts and the mysterious Vengeful Brotherhood. He also kept an eye on Minerva whose strategy of whisky combined with gin was a dangerous hole to go towards. At the moment she still had control. while in most circumstances Akira would have recommended anger, for a tipsy and powerful witch in a school of children that wouldn't not only not be productive, it would be downright dangerous.

Akira had vaguely registered that Harry's friends had reacted to his kidnapping in disparate ways. His best friend had seemed to form a defense group, committed to learning spells that he would not be teaching in his class due to restrictive registrations. Akira had quietly approached Hermione to tell her he had no intention of turning her in, but rather that he would prefer that she run any dangerous spells by him first.

The response of Harry's fellow champions was what had Akira the most baffled. Cedric seemed to continue to ramp up his preparations for the tournament steadfastly, but there was a slight air of tension when he talked to Hermione. Akira had suspected that of all the developing relationships, Cedric and Hermione would grow closer in the absence of Harry. Instead, Cedric was drawing back and with all her focus on her missing friend, Hermione was more than happy to let him back away.

Krum had not joined the defense group, but he was deep in books that had nothing to do with creatures. The books had quite a few curses that would be considered gray at best. It wasn't a surprise to Akira, as Krum came from a region where kidnapping was slightly more prevalent. The fact that there had not been a ransom demand and that a friend had been kidnapped had not gone unnoticed by the Bulgarian, and there was animosity dripping off the Durmstrang champion any time someone he was not close to approached him. The only person constantly at his side keeping him sane was the young Ravenclaw Miss Lovegood.

But it was Fleur's response that worried Akira the most. From what he could gather from snippets of conversation, Fleur had made it clear to Harry that she was going to pursue him. It wouldn't surprise Akira to hear that his brother was initially resistant but he suspected Harry would soon fold to the attention of a remarkable girl. Whether or not it lasted was not important, but for someone starved for affection Harry would not be able to hold out for long. So the fact that Fleur had become more outgoing and cheerful with the disappearance of her soon to be beau had Akira mildly worried that someone was influencing her.

But right now he had a potential line on the location of Harry, and that was his only focus. There seemed to be a real possibility that he could get his brother back, so that was what he was going to do.

"Where is he?" McGonagall asked, her voice hoarse. "When can we leave?"

"Well, I have a friend in the Asian Magical Major Crimes task force," Akira explained. "He owed me a favor so he looked into the activity of the Vengeful Brotherhood. It took a little while, but eventually he struck gold. They have bases all over the world, but they are concentrated in Asia and Africa. He looked into Africa first and came up with nothing but radio silence."

"Then he looked at Asia and noticed that there had been some irregularities with the activities of the top special operations group. That is not that unusual, as they tend to keep their movements and missions under wraps. But the most recent movements had them in possession of a large amount of powerful international portkeys. He ran that lead down, and found out that the portkeys were keyed into breaking bigger wards, but not specific."

"He suspected they raided a base in North Korea." Dumbledore sucked in a breath and Minerva glanced up confused. "For clarification, Minerva, that is bad news. North Korea is far from an ideal place in the muggle world, and it is even worse for wizards. They have an exceptionally powerful base of wizards and witches entirely devoted to their leader. Even the top special ops group would tread carefully before taking action there."

"But Nambung often leads one of the groups that went in, and I don't think it is coincidence that the Asian Ministry tracked a remarkably powerful portkey surge in the country, and at the same time an attack is carried out that was seemingly hidden from people that would normally be coordinating and supervising the attack. My friend can't be sure as to the time scale, but he thinks that they happened the same day."

"What does this all mean for Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "Did Nambung rescue him?"

"I don't know," Akira said. "But I was able to get a portkey to the same spot that the special ops team had. It was quite a few favors, especially since I am keeping my father out of the loop, as it gives him plausible deniability. Which means if something goes wrong, he can bring the Hayashi School into it. Also, this is all wild supposition."

"Do you think Harry will be in the same spot?"

"If he is still alive? I doubt it," Akira admitted. "But more likely than not, the head of the mission will have posted people to watch the building. If I can down one of them, I might be able to arrange a meeting with whoever is currently running the team. Hopefully it is Nambung. If not, then things get dicey."

"So you are going to Portkey into an unknown situation totally blind in the hopes that you might get in a fight with someone that reports to someone that might know if Harry was in the area recently?" Minerva asked, her voice betraying her exhaustion.

"Well, I won't be going alone." Akira tried to add some joviality to his voice, but it fell flat. "A fellow student is an expert in the area. She is coming along to provide backup and to watch my back. She's a cool head in a fight and she can keep her lips shut. With luck I'll be back in under aweek, with information on Harry. If I am extremely lucky, I'll bring him back."

"What if he is no longer alive?" Minerva asked, her voice flat.

"You can't think like that," Akira said softly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "They obviously wanted him alive, and Harry is remarkably resourceful and getting more powerful every day. It is possible he escaped and is on the run all on his own."

"But it is possible?" Dumbledore pressed.

"Of course it's possible," Minerva snapped. "Because the wards you put on Hogwarts are totally inadequate." She rose and stormed out of the room.

"She knows I am not responsible for the wards of Hogwarts," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "Obviously, she has taken the loss of her family hard." Akira kept his face schooled in a mask. He did not know that Dumbledore had known of the blood ties between the student and teacher.

"I understand Alastor will be busy coordinating with the Aurors," Akira noted, and Dumbledore nodded. "Since I will be gone for a little while, I have brought in a replacement for my classes." Akira motioned towards the stairs and Dumbledore nodded. Akira heard the stone gargoyle move to allow the guest entrance. He then heard the clacking of shoes that caused him to grind his teeth. He hated to owe her a favor, but very few of his friends could drop whatever they were doing and come to a school in Scotland. Of those few friends, even less had experience teaching. But Gods, he hated owing her a favor.

"Hello Akira," the harsh voice of one of his least favorite people cut in. Akira turned nodded to the young woman. "I expect I will have to fix your subpar instruction."

"I can assure you, Ms.?"

"Ito, Headmaster. Yui Ito. Soon to be Yui Hayashi," Yui said with a harsh grin.

"That is yet to be decided," Akira managed to spit out. Yui didn't say anything in response to that. She simply tapped her hand against the desk, getting a dull sound from the engagement ring against her jeans. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything else about the clear animosity between an engaged couple.

"Ms. Ito, I can assure you that there have been no complaints about Professor Hayashi's instruction. If anything, the students have been extremely complementary, and many prominent members of the English magical community have encouraged me to make overtures to attempt to retain him after this year."

"I assume that is because he is babying the students," Yui said. "I will go easy on them as well." She patted Akira on the shoulder with enough force to break skin if Akira had not been ready. "If that is all, I believe I have my first class in one hour." She nodded at Akira but did not spare Dumbledore a second glance as she left the office.

"She is a world class talent, despite her nasty personality," Akira added by way of explanation. "I can count on one hand the amount of times I have overwhelmed her with magic."

"Yet you have proposed to her despite the clear animosity of both parties?" Dumbledore asked. "I assume that is quite a story."

"Perhaps another time," Akira lied. He had no intention of sharing the romantic aspect of his life, or lack of such with anyone in the castle, with the possible but unlikely exception of his brother. "Harry could be on borrowed time." He nodded and strode out of the headmaster's office.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

It was a quick floo to the British Ministry of Magic, where he met Karmen. Karmen was an American student of his father, and had studied both magical and muggle international relations at university.

"So we are really breaking into North Korea without letting your father know!" Karmen exclaimed after her normal bone-crushing hug of greeting, wagging her finger at Akira. "I never would have pegged you for a rule breaker."

"It's complicated," Akira said as Karmen laughed. "I surprised you jumped at the opportunity. When I reached out, I was hoping you could recommend a good mercenary."

"Oh, I know some good mercs for a long-term operation in DRPK," Karmen told him. "But I was hoping that I could get some info for a paper I am working on." Karmen was a serious academic and impressed quite a few people with her work ethic towards martial arts, being a witch, and her drive to academia. It was one of the reasons Akira had fallen hard for her as a teenager. It was for other reasons that he had kept his admiration silent.

"Of course," Akira said with a nod. "If there is nothing else, we are on the clock."

"Right." Akira held out the cup he had been given, and Karmen grabbed hold as well.

"Activate." Akira felt the uncomfortable yanking sensation that came with a portkey, and the rush that came from flying through space for an uncomfortably long time. It came to a jerking halt, but Akira had sensed it coming and managed to catch Karmen as they landed on the grass.

"Thanks," Karmen told him. She turned to him and gave him a nervous smile, and Akira realized he still had her in his arms and dropped them suddenly. "That was a long ride."

"It was," Akira said, surveying the terrain. It wouldn't make sense for the most dangerous special ops team in Asia to deploy to an empty countryside, unless there was property nearby. He flipped his wand out of his holster and cast a quick scanning spell. "To the west and east."

"West is not a property ward," Karmen said, aiming her wand west. "So East?"

"As good a place to start as any." They quickly came upon a house that could only be classed as gigantic. "Woah."

"What have you gotten me into Hayashi?" Karmen said with a half-hearted smile.

"Apparently breaking and entering for someone that is very rich and powerful," Akira replied as he started examining the wards. He found something odd on his third pass. "Come check this out." Karmen walked over waving her wand. "These wards have been broken recently, and the repairs were not done well."

"That's not so curious," Karmen said.

"No, but that fact that they were broken twice is. Especially when you consider that one of the two breaks came from inside the wards." Wards had never been a specialty of hers, but critical thinking was. "Any thoughts?"

"Was there a repair job in between the first and second break?"

"I can't tell." Akira surveyed the wards once more. It would be simple to access them. He wouldn't even have to break them. If not for the multiple breaks, Akira would have been sure there was a trap he wasn't sniffing out. As it was, the only thing needed to break in was one of Karmen's bobby pins and a few tools from his own kit.

"Double woah," Karmen said as they entered the house. It was clear the entrance hall had once been a grandeur display of wealth. It now looked like a war zone. Akira's guard was instantly up as he felt something from the left window.

"Get down!" Akira barked and Karmen rolled behind him and Akira met the attacker who smashed through the window. They were a blur of movement, and Akira struggled to keep up with the seemingly endless chain of attacks and spells. He heard a similar fight behind him and realized he would likely get no assistance from Karmen.

He managed to catch the glimpse of a blue cloak as he caught a backhand and parried the follow up straight. His guess that the special forces who had assaulted the place a month ago were still staking out the place was correct. Now he just had to win his fight. And as he fought, he realized that was not likely.

The kicks from his opponent's right side were too fast to dodge, and to try and block them with his arms was becoming dangerous due to the power differential. His opponent jumped forward and Akira ducked a high kick and swayed back for dodge the viciously fast follow up towards his torso. He was just alert enough to land a grazing elbow as he swung around yet another kick that likely would have detached his head from his body.

His enemy had no business being so fast with all the power in the kicks. Akira had already dispensed of the weights, but it was time to even the playing field, as the other person was clearly melding magic and physical talents. He threw a few half jabs, and followed it up with an overemphatic kick that was easily dodged. All of the misses blows gave him distance though, and Akira gave a threatening wave of his wand while instead saying "shokai rirīsu!"

Akira felt the surge of power flooding his body and closed instantly, catching a high kick and following up with a push kick of his own, which landed solidly and his opponent emitted a high-pitched groan. He was now on the offensive, and he chained three powerful piercing spells together and followed that up with a full powered right straight that shattered the magical shield in front of him and clipped the face of his opponent, and the mask slipped.

Suddenly the pace and style of his opponent changed, and Akira felt three hard uppercuts connect with his midriff. He sagged forward in pain, which inadvertently caused him to duck the finishing punch. Akira was not a fan of grappling, but he was going down anyways so he dragged his opponent to the ground and started to fire punch after punch at their face, even though the opponent was safely guarding.

Then he felt a jolt to the side of his head and his opponent spun him into a reverse headlock, leaving Akira gasping for air. He tried to jerk his head out from the grip and managed to lever his opponent off his back. They both rose and circled carefully.

"You are not half bad," a distinctively feminine voice told him. "You have a good style. Too defensive for my taste, but you have no quit." Akira shrugged but saw through the gambit and caught her high kick and brought his free hand up in a vicious palm strike. She managed to contort her entire body to yank her leg out of his grasp and Akira's palm strike missed the kneecap.

For the first time his opponent was off balance, and Akira sent two high powered stunners, but threw in a tripping jinx with minimal movement, and he saw the jinx land and his opponent fell, dropping her wand. Akira bound her and then disarmed her and turned to see Karmen finishing up with her opponent as well.

His limit release caught up to him all at once, and he slumped to the floor, exhausted. Karmen made sure both of their opponents were dealt with and sat next to him, also taking deep heavy breaths. Akira just focused on recovering as much magic as he could. Their opponents were not going anywhere, and that was part one of the mission.

"What in the world is taking so long?" A voice above them called out. Akira drew himself to his feet and moved in front of Karmen. He registered two blurs and managed to block both punches. "Oh, a talented one." Akira managed to duck one kick but the second one tore through his sluggish block, and Akira collapsed in a heap, darkness overcoming him.

"Wake up," a voice called. Akira tried to move but felt restrained as a jet of ice cold water snapped him awake. "Well, I'll be switched if this isn't Akira Hayashi! Release him!" Akira heard a familiar voice with a distinctly American drawl order his release and felt his bonds disappear. Akira rose shakily and saw Big Tex staring at him in surprise. "What are you doing here boy?"

Akira didn't know Big Tex well. He was from America and rumor had it that he was a promising career in MACUSA's Major Investigations Department before he suddenly resigned. He had then popped up 10 years later in the early 90s and now ran one of the top special ops teams in Asia. But it was familiar face, and that sent a jolt of relief through Akira's body

"Hey Tex," Akira said with a weary smile.

"You and Karmen took down two of my top guns," Tex said. "Good to see you are keeping up with your training."

"The North Korea op was yours?" Akira asked, cutting through the small talk. He was much less worried about Harry now, but if Big Tex was involved, there was no reason Harry wouldn't already be back in England.

"You know I can't discuss that," Tex told him. "But I am curious why you are here?"

"Tracking someone down," Akira explained. His best play was to lay all his cards on the table. "My brother by blood was taken, and we tracked the portkey to here. I was hoping he was still here, preferably alive. If not, I'd have to tell my father."

"The boy was connected?" Big Tex said to himself. "That makes sense. It wasn't making no sense before, but now I got it."

"What?"

"Oh, your brother is fine. That's all I can say, but the boy is right as rain. I guess I can give you one more tidbit, make of it what you will. My cowboys didn't start this. The original squad on this was the Wolves of Mibu." Another surge of relief coursed through Akira. Tex's squad, known as the Cowboy's would likely have protected Harry, but another special ops team would have killed him for no reason other than being a suspected enemy combatant. It was the risk you ran with highly talented magical martial artists operating with minimal supervision.

The Wolves of Mibu were probably the special ops squad shrouded in the most secrecy, but one thing Akira did know about them was that Nambung was more likely than not the head of that groups operations, and the Korean Taekwondo master was not someone to sit raids out. Harry was more than likely with Nambung at the moment. The level of secrecy around Harry's status as safe and alive was curious, but Akira didn't care much at the moment. He would have a conversation with his father later, but for now everyone was alive.

"Is Karmen ok?" Akira asked, his concern for his brother assuaged.

"She's a little better off then you. Didn't try to fight my lieutenant." Tex looked him over critically. "She's a fine women. Last I heard you already had a lass, and it wasn't her."

"Karmen is not my fiancé, no, but she speaks much better Korean than I, and I did not know if this would be a quick search and rescue or a tracking mission."

"But you are sweet on her?" Tex phrased it as a question, but Akira just remained silent. "Well, ain't you asking for trouble on the horizon."

"I guess I am," Akira said.

"Well, when you talk to your da, tell him I say hi. He'll being likely to give you an earful about this, and I won't get involved in you young'uns and your love live. Of the record, however…." Akira waved his hand for Tex to proceed. "You best be honest with your pap. He appreciates honesty. He will understand that the heart wants what the heart wants."

"It's more complicated than that." Akira clinched his hands into fist. Then he heard a door swing open and looked up just in time to catch Karmen who was hugging him with tears coursing down her face.

"Don't seem too complicated to me," Tex said. Akira just shook his head and hugged Karmen back. Eventually they drew apart, and Akira was pleasantly surprised to find that Karmen slipped her hand into his. She had never shown him too much physical affection before, and this was a welcome surprise, though at the moment he doubted he was equipped to discuss the potential long-term ramifications. "You got transport out of here?"

"Yeah." Akira held up the silver cup. It had a secondary cast that would take him to the Japanese Embassy in South Korea.

"Get going then," Tex said. "Should go without saying, we never met."

"We didn't find anything," Akira said. Karmen looked at him curiously. "We just decided to cut our loses."

"Atta boy," Tex said and he waved as Akira grabbed Karmen and activated the portkey.

"Ok, mind explaining what happened?" Karmen asked an hour later after they had cleaned and eaten. "Where is this brother of yours?"

"Seems like he was picked up by someone reliable who is looking after him," Akira said. Karmen glared at him. "Karmen, when you graduated you made a choice to become an academic, not work in government. Tex gave me much more than he had to, and I can't share anything he told me. Besides, we never met."

"All this cloak and dagger stuff is exhausting," Karmen declared. "How to do you keep it up?"

"It's not really my game," Akira admitted. "But given that we were digging into a cult with dangerous power that is getting some very dangerous men involved, it's not a surprise that there are layers of secrecy. Just be happy someone recognized me. Otherwise we would be in trouble."

"Well, I guess the endorphins from being alive are wearing off, but I guess I've got another hour before I go to bed," Karmen told him. "I'll head up to my room anyways." She turned when she was halfway up the stairs. "You coming or not?"

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

Akira ended up heading straight back to Hogwarts a few days later rather than reporting to the head of the embassy. After a nice brunch and sending Karmen on her way their final day, he decided that his father did not need to know what Akira had done that week in any regard. Though Karmen's goodbye kiss let him know that he would need to have a long and challenging discussion with his father soon, he didn't want to do that while he was still sore and exhausted from what was essentially a beatdown where he got lucky, as well as the following few nights. That did not even include the fact that he had left his father's letter only half solved, and that if he had finished the letter instead of jumping at the first clue, he might have saved himself the trouble in the first place.

The first person he sought out was Minerva, who had broken down when she saw him battered and with no Harry. Akira hauled her back to his office and had explained that while he could not say anything, Harry was safe and would return before the second task. Minerva was not pleased with the lack of information over Harry's specific status, location, or return date, but he could tell that she would take a day but then become more similar to her old self until she could see Harry.

Akira took one more day to recover from his injuries. When he returned to class the next day, he was unsurprised to find that his students had found Yui abrasive and insulting, although her teaching methods were effective as almost every student had been able to perform the spell she set before them. Her tepid goodbye filled with backhanded insults had made his first day back tense, but the day ended well when he worked with the 4th years and was able to see the pure delight in the eyes of most of the students when he relayed to Hermione in front of all of Harry's year mates that Harry Potter was indeed safe, and would hopefully be returning soon.

News spread like wildfire and soon the original story was warped beyond believe. Some students were convinced by the end of the day that Harry was once again locked in a deadly day-long duel with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Others were under the impression that Harry had run away and would be giving up his magic when he refused to participate in the second past.

"If he is safe, why is he not returning?" Victor asked Luna in the library later that night.

"Isn't it obvious?" Luna said with the smile that drove Victor mad with distraction.

"Would you like to enlighten the ones of us slow to the party?"

"He's training," Luna said. "You could see he had hit a bit of a wall. As much as he trains with Akira, Akira is not his master. He must be training with his real master. I suspect when he returns, he will be quite formidable."

"He is already quite formidable," Krum observed.

"Yes, he is," Luna noted. "Maybe if we give him pudding upon his return, he will show us his new powers." Krum just shook his head in amusement. A few tables away a group of fourth years were huddled over a pile of defense books. For the most part the students were talking, but one student was poring through the books at a speed that suggested she was not actually reading anything.

"Hermione, you need to relax," Hannah finally said. "Harry is safe. I know you have a lot of nervous energy."

"But don't you get it!" Hermione snapped. "He isn't coming back because he can't protect us all. We need to make sure we are not a burden to him, so he doesn't leave again."

"I bought into your whole defense club explanation at the time because it was easier than arguing, but this has to stop," Dean said. "Hermione, I think it is great we are working on getting stronger and learning more spells. But I'm not doing it to fight in Harry's battles. Yes, I'm his friend, and if Death Eaters attacked a muggle sporting event I'd fight back. But that's not my key motivation."

"You have to figure out what your real motivation is, because it isn't to make sure Harry never pushes you to the side again," Lavender noted. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "Come on, I've only been friends with him this year and I can tell that even if you had twice as much magical power as him, he would push you out of the way. It's who he is. Be honest with yourself about why you want to learn."

"Because he is leaving me behind!" Hermione almost cried. "Because every time I see him training with Professor McGonagall, I realize that he doesn't need me anymore. He knows more than me, and if I can't be there to teach him and help him, what use am I? I'm just an annoyance to my best friend, and if he learns even more now, I'm sure he will want me to leave him alone." Neville crossed the table and smacked Hermione over the head. "Hey!"

"If you really think that, then maybe you don't deserve to be Harry's best friend after all." Neville looked really angry. "Do you think that if Harry threw himself into learning everything he could, given that he is without doubt a more powerful and naturally talented wizard than any of us, that he could leave us behind? I suspect he already has. None of you see him train with Akira every morning. I happen to be there most mornings, but I can't see it."

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked. "You said you go with every morning."

"I do, but when they train seriously they are moving so fast I can't actually follow their movements." Neville explained. "If Harry wanted friends to fight alongside him, he would probably never come back to Hogwarts. We'll never catch up. From what I understand, Akira is going to try and convince Harry to move to Asia after the tournament. If you try and base your friendship with Harry off your ability and power as a witch, we will lose him, for sure."

"So I should just give up?" Hermione wailed.

"No, keeping training for yourself, because like Cedric said a month ago there are dangerous people in the world," Neville told her. "You have never seen the scars, right?"

"No, eventually I saw them," Hermione admitted. "His upper body is a map of his childhood trauma."

"This summer started the healing process," Neville stated. "We can all tell Harry is better this year, but I think what he needs from us is support. Not literal support in the sense that I will fight beside him, even though I would in a heartbeat if he asked it. But the support to remind him he is not alone, that he has friends who care about him. That when the world goes to shit and half the school things he is the heir of Slytherin or accuses him of cheating, that we will all stand behind him."

"I think that because of all the stuff he has gone through, it's hard to remember that Harry is the same age as us. He was abused for 13 years, and that includes verbal abuse at school. I don't know if there is a student who has spent more time in the infirmary than Harry Potter. Most of the time it is not entirely his fault. When he does go looking for trouble, he usually ends up saving lives. That doesn't even take into account that until this year, our potions professor took every chance he had to belittle and insult Harry. At least once a year, sometimes more, he was put in situations where he should have died. I doubt any one of us could stand what he did and come out the other side."

"Harry clearly has issues, like any teenager does. His problems tend to be centered around life and death struggles, so maybe we can't relate. But we can always be there to talk, give advice, or occasionally just let him yell. That's what you should do for Harry." Neville looked up and saw everyone staring at him. "Well, that's what I will do for him."

"I don't deserve you," Hannah murmured to her boyfriend as she locked her arms around his neck and gently pressed her lips against him.

"Sure you do," Neville said. "I never would have said any of that before I had you. You make me the best version of me, someone I could never be before." A few of the people around the table were wiping their eyes. Neville seemed to straighten, and he looked Hannah dead in the eyes. "If you will all excuse me, I need to have a serious talk with this fantastic woman." Lavender seemed to smile at the words and Neville walked away, Hannah whispering in his ear and melting in his arms.

"Well, seems Neville has found his answer," Lavender said. "For a variety of things."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked his girlfriend.

"Oh, I can't tell you everything," Lavender said with a sigh, laying her arm across Dean. "Then there would be no surprises." She then turned to the rest of the group with a bright smile. "I wonder what the second task is? Do you think they have figured out that horrible screaming?


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: Well, a lot happened there. I'm curious to know what you think of two chapters without a sign of our protagonist.**

**In February I was having so much fun writing this and I wished for more time to write. Be careful what you wish for, right? Anyways, hope everyone stays safe.**

Chapter 43: I Can't Swim

February 24th, 1995

"Still no sign of him?" Dean asked as he sat down next to Neville.

"Nothing," Neville admitted. "I know that Professor Hayashi said not to worry, but something just feels wrong."

"Ok, so the situation isn't ideal," Dean countered. "But relax. No need to have odd feelings. Things tend to work out."

"How can you be so relaxed?" Neville fretted

"There is nothing that I can do about it," Dean said. "So I am going to eat my breakfast."

"Hey, have you seen Hermione?" Neville asked. "I assume she would be the most worried at the moment."

"Her and Harry are honestly like an old married couple with all the arguing and speaking without words," Dean said. Neville smacked him on the head and looked around.

"Don't let Cedric hear you say that," Neville cautioned. "Susan says Cedric is just about fed up with Hermione talking non-stop about Harry. He really likes her, but he doesn't want to be third wheel to the world's greatest friendship."

"So?" Dean said with a snort. "Want me to be shocked? Cedric and Hermione have been playing relationship chicken ever since the ball. Hermione is terrified of what might happen if they are alone, and they need to have a frank conversation with no one else around to butt in, least of all Harry when he shows up again. Cedric is too much of a nice guy to really push her to have that private conversation."

"Yeah, I guess," Neville said.

"Hey, we can't all meet the love of our lives as teenagers," Dean commented. "By the way, Hannah has looked quite pleased recently. How'd that conversation about your grandmother's letter go?"

"Surprising well," Neville replied, before a look of surprise flashed across his face. "Wait, how do you know about it?"

"Lavender told me," Dean relayed. "Do you think because I tend to be relaxed I am seen as trustworthy?" There was a puzzled look on his face as he contemplated the question he had just asked.

"Focus please," Neville argued with an exasperated sigh. Ever since the winter holidays Dean could be frustratingly evasive and unfocused, but Neville had been relying on him with Harry gone. "Why did she tell you?"

"Because she knows a million secrets and it eats her up," Dean explained. "She needs to tell other people, and for the most part I will keep my head down. Besides, after you told her she asked me to keep an eye on you."

"Huh." Neville was fairly pleased with the answer. Dean did seem to blend it at times and did keep his head down and stay out of trouble. So if Lavender did need to unload, Dean was as good a person an any "Regardless, Hannah understands where my grandmother is coming from, but I made it clear that I intend to keep on seeing her. She said that not having my guardian's approval made her feel like a bad girl, which made us dating even more thrilling."

"Don't tell me you two still haven't seen Harry!" Cedric stammered as he slid down next to Dean. "The task starts in under an hour!"

"Not a sign," Neville admitted. "Dean seems to think it will work out fine."

"Hey, we can't control it, so why worry?"

"Yeah, yeah," Cedric said distractedly. "Have you seen Hermione?"

"Narry a sign. That's a negative too," Dean told him. Cedric seemed to snap as he bolted upright. "You ok?"

"I can't believe it," Cedric muttered. "Harry needs to get here, right away!" Dean and Neville watched Cedric's fleeing body as he raced back towards the Hufflepuff table where the other two champions were sitting.

"What does he want us to do about it?"

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

February 24th, 1995

"Sun has been down for almost an hour," Nambung commented, his feet dangling off the top of the building.

"Seems like it," Harry said, sitting next to him.

"You nervous?" Nambung asked.

"A little," Harry admitted. "You heard the clue same as I did. If I don't accomplish my task, I lose something forever. What if it really is a person, and I mess up? That is a really heavy thing to have on my conscience."

"Harry, I say you when you arrived and you are a totally different person than you were after New Year. I can't imagine that the British Ministry of Magic has come up with something that can stop you."

"I doubt I could take on a feral dragon again," Harry replied, which earned him a laugh from the Taekwondo Grandmaster.

"Maybe, maybe not," Nambung replied. "But at least you could run away more effectively." They sat on the edge of the building, looking out into the inky blackness for a few minutes, a comfortable silence stretching over them like a blanket. "I want you to know that if you die I'm going to kill you myself."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. "I'll do my best." Harry stood and smiled at his master. "I'll see you around."

"Right back at you," Nambung replied. He sighed and heard the familiar crackle of lightening to his right. There was a flash of light, and Nambung turned his head to see the space beside him empty. He sat there for a few minutes more, and then vanished into his own flash of light.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

January, 1995

Harry flew forward his fists flashing at top speed. Across from him his foe dodged every punch in the flurry without moving his lower body. All he did was bend and twist his upper body, and everything Harry tried hit air. Harry tried to up the speed but his muscles protested. An attempt to push through the pain failed and then the energy in his body was gone, totally drained. He collapsed to the floor in a puddle of sweat.

"I think I'm starting to understand the problem," Nambung said, conjuring a chair and sitting across from Harry. "So Akira only taught you Basutosutorimu?"

"What do you mean only?" Harry managed to get out in between deep breaths. "Isn't that the ultimate technique?"

"Not exactly," Nambung explained. "For one, the idea behind Basutosutorimu is not unique to the Hayashi School. They have brought it to the pinnacle of achievement, but the idea of burning up all your energy, both physical and magical is not exclusive to them."

"So what's my problem?" Harry asked, still trying to catch his breath.

"Oh, you know it's no fun if I just tell you," Nambung said, hoisting Harry to his feet. "You'll need to figure it out on your own." Harry shook his head ruefully. Most of his master's teaching meant solving the problem on the own. There were only two exceptions to this, and they had both happened over the summer and not the few weeks he had spent in Korea since January. "Ok, I've got work. Try and puzzle it out before I return tomorrow." He reached out and ruffled Harry's hair, which earned him a steely look from the green-eyed boy. "See you later." Nambung vanished to the sound of crackling lightening, and Harry growled in frustration.

He spent a few hours going through his form, cleaning up small mistakes. Then Harry spent a few hours breaking things, his wand still in his holster. Nothing struck him as he lay down in the evening. Nambung had posed him the riddle a few weeks ago, and he was still not making progress. His Basutosutorimu was almost perfect. In English, it would translate as Burst Stream.

It was one of the most dangerous and difficult techniques of the Hayashi School. Releasing all of your physical and magical strength and converting it all into physical ability and protection gave the user unparalleled strength for a short time. Harry was not so naïve to believe that when he used it that he might be able to land a hit on his master, but he still hadn't forced him to move. The stronger you got, the longer you could use the technique for. Nambung said that the senior Hayashi could use the technique for 20 minutes.

No, Harry realized, that wasn't right. He sat up straight in his bed. The essence of Basutosutorimu was that it was a finishing move. If you didn't use up everything in a short time, some of the more dangerous attacks that could only be performed with the additional physical boost would do serious damage. Basutosutorimu didn't just increase your speed, agility, and strength. It gave the necessary protection to your bones and muscles so that there would be no long-term damage.

Along with posing him the riddle, Nambung had taught him some of his techniques that could only be used while Harry was in Burst Stream mode. The leg techniques for movement had been easier than the two attacks. The first had been Seismic Step, which increased his leg strength for any kind of downward kick. But Harry had studied and trained hard and was now comfortable with it.

The second technique was called Slip Strike. Harry had called the name stupid until he saw his teacher punch a 20-foot thick wall of concrete and leave the wall undamaged while destroying the dummy on the other side. It had taken 2 weeks for Harry to get through any type of target while leaving the point of contact unharmed, but now he felt like he might be able to punch a victim and end up hitting the person behind holding them.

But the riddle had left him totally stumped. Now, for the first time, Harry felt inspiration strike him. How could Hayashi-Sensei use Basutosutorimu for 20 minutes? Perhaps it was not about releasing everything at once! It was about tight control.

Harry thought about his spars with Nambung and analyzed every second of it. He realized that when he used Seismic Step, or Slip Strike he had put all his energy into that moment. What if that was the secret? Only using Basutosutorimu the moment of the move that you needed it? Switching in and out of that mode in under a second, from throwing a punch to stasis until you needed the power for his next technique? Was it even possible?

Supposing it was possible, everything began to make sense it a way that it had never made sense before. Sleep was banished from Harry's mind as he made his way down to the training rooms. As he prepared, he realized that his exhaustion from the day's worth of training might actually be helpful. If he couldn't hone his powers, he would collapse in a matter of minutes. But he calmed himself, took a few deep breaths and allowed his magical power to start to build inside of him.

With a primal howl, Harry yanked all the energy in his body into his legs and right arm and struck through the target, making mincemeat out of the secondary target behind it. He then jumped back with enhanced leg strength and immediately released the extra magic he was harnessing as physical enhancers. He felt magic flow back into his body and the exhaustion vanish into thin air.

He jumped and pirouetted into the air, and as he headed back towards the earth, he directed that energy back into his right leg and his magical reinforced kick shattered the hardwood floor. Harry rolled away and regained his feet, releasing the magic back throughout his body. He had just performed two fully powered finishing moves and did not feel any of the exhaustion that would normally accompany that.

It was late at night, so Harry could only continue his practice for another 10 minutes. He would have gone a little longer, but he needed to save some magical power to repair the damage he had done in the room. Multiple training dummies, even those charmed to resist powerful attacks had been smashed, and the floor had a variety of holes all over it.

The next day when his master returned Harry felt much more confident in his use of his new style, which he had called instant release. He still got kicked around during the spar, but he was able to keep attacking much longer than normal, and his master revealed he was much closer to solving the riddle of Hayashi-Sensei's ability to keep his top power for so long. In fact, he had progressed enough to get to the heart of his training with Nambung.

"The main thing I want to focus on is using your power efficiently. People throw around magic power with no concern to efficiency," Nambung told him. "It's always hit harder and make a more powerful shield. If you learn tight control of your magic, you won't exhaust yourself as quickly."

"What does that actually mean?" Harry asked as he stretched. He had learned that summer that Nambung tended to wander when teaching, and apparently he had not fixed that habit.

"Fire a spell at me," Nambung told him. "Something powerful." Harry shrugged and drew his wand. He had learned a long time ago that Nambung did all of his magic silently and without a wand in his hand so there was no point in waiting.

"Depulso!" Harry yelled, sending a shockwave towards his teacher. To Harry's surprise, his teacher turned sidewise and the spells just rippled over him. "What was that?"

"You would call it Protego," Nambung said. "I just didn't bother casting an ostentatious spell that covered more area than necessary. I cast it in a tiny layer all around the side of my body. Most of your spell missed, but the rest got caught in my shield. For now, you will need to learn how to cast it silently. Eventually you will be able to keep the shield up all the time like Hayashi-Sensei and I do, but for now we will work on refining your magical control so you can do things like this. Eventually I'd like you to be able to release magic in concentrated bursts the same way you do when you convert it to physical energy."

"So my spells will be much more concentrated, but a little more exhausting," Harry commented.

"Won't it be easier to hit someone with a gouging spell that penetrated their shield rather than 5?" Nambung pointed out.

"Fair point," Harry conceded.

"Well, we have around a month left before you have return," Nambung said, finishing his stretches as well. He drew his wand and Harry raised an eyebrow at his teacher. "You are still a while away from wandless magic, so I'll use my my wand so you can copy my form."

"You aren't going to train me by beating the techniques into my body?"

"Well, I said we only have a month," Nambung replied. "Why do you even ask when you know that I am going to beat you up until you can't stand. It's the fastest way to learn."

"Of course it is." Harry couldn't keep the sarcasm from his voice. Nambung snapped his wand at Harry, who managed to get his wand up and whisper "Protego." The Korean wizard's spell smashed through Harry's hastily cast shield, but it slowed the spell enough for Harry to dance around it. However, he had jumped straight into the path of the second spell.

"You need to sense the magic from my wand," Nambung said. "Don't count on your eyes, they betray you." Harry nodded and rolled to his feet firing a barrage of spells, all of which his teacher deflected with ease. Harry didn't even see the flicker of movement that indicated the attack, but he sensed a pulse from his teacher that he hadn't felt before and rolled out of the way. He heard a spell impact on the wall behind him, but as he tried to recover his feet he was knocked back by another spell.

"I think I felt something," Harry explained as he rose to his feet again.

"That was fast," Nambung said. "Sensory magic is very tough, but it will come in handy as you refine your magic. Nice work." There was no movement but Harry felt that pulse again and threw up a shield to block the stunner. "Very nice work. Now you just need to feel the power of the spell and use the appropriate force or movement in response-"

"And the best way to learn that is with your body," Harry interrupted with a wry grin on his face. "I am well aware of-" He was interrupted by a spell that shattered his shield and sent him flying, but Harry contorted his body in midair and landed on his feet, dodging another two spells by inches as he regained his balance."

"Then don't talk back," Nambung said, his wand snapping out at Harry a few more times and eventually catching him with a stinging spell that made Harry wince. "Come on then. You better attack as well."

"Evanesco." Harry then cast a silent banishing spell at the debris he had just turned invisible, and Nambung laughed as he dodged the flying scraps and countered with a flurry of spells that Harry weaved through.

"Good improvisation," Nambung said as he hit Harry in the middle of the chest. "If you had cast that vanishing spell silently, you would have caught anyone at your school."

"Let me guess," Harry said as he flipped to his feet. "I'll get it with more practice?"

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

February 24th, 1995

"Where is he?" Dumbledore hissed at Akira, who looked around with an unconcerned look on his face. The student bodies of all three schools were assembled around the water. "The task starts in a matter minutes, and I cannot delay it longer. I do not think you need to be told of the importance of making sure Harry Potter does not lose his magic."

"I'm sure my brother will be along soon," Akira told Dumbledore. "If I was you, I'd be more concerned about those people below water." Dumbledore flinched in surprise. "Oh, I can sense them just fine. I'm sure that if Minerva was down there for Harry to rescue she'd be upset. Did you run it by her?" Dumbledore stayed silent. "Very brave to put a young Veela in the water as well, much less the daughter of Laurent Delacour."

"It will be fine," Dumbledore snapped.

"And if the champions fail in their task and do not rescue their hostages? What will happen then?"

"The mermen will return them to the surface," Dumbledore replied.

"Even a Veela, a race who embody the element opposite them?" Akira replied. "I sure hope you are right." As Akira strolled away he remained unconcerned about his brother. Nambung had always been a showman given the opportunity and while Harry had only minutes, he was sure when his brother arrived it would be with a bang.

He was concerned about the hostages. From what he understood, the champions would only be allowed to rescue one champion without being attacked by the merpeople. In their private lessons Cedric had confirmed to Akira that while they had solved the clues together the champions would be on their own in the task. Cedric had admitted that if Harry had been there, he might have been able to convince the others to work together with people in harm's way, but without him the other two were too stubborn and invested in victory.

Krum would probably not encounter too many problems under the lake. The main problems were figuring out how to breath underwater and grindylows, both of which should prove no problem for the Bulgarian and his powerful casting. Cedric had done good work to master the bubblehead charm and Akira had worked on the Revulsion and Ebublio jinx until Cedric had dropped.

While Fleur was quicker than Krum and more powerful than Cedric, Akira was worried for her. He was unsure that the merpeople would leave her alone. The enmity between the two races was well known. Fleur's magic was also driven by her internal fire, which would be much weaker than normal. And if her hostage was left under water, Laurent and Apolline Delacour were not people to trifle with.

The champions, all in bathing suits assembled on the shore of the lake. Dumbledore looked at Akira once more, who shrugged. They all looked nervous and Akira knew that they worried about the people underwater. It was bitterly cold, and Akira knew that Cedric would cast a warming charm the moment the task started. He could only hope the other champions cast a similar spell. Wizards and witches could catch hyperthermia as easily as muggles.

"Welcome to the second task!" Dumbledore cried with his wand at his throat. The crowd went wild. Then the headmaster stopped as an earth-shattering crackle coursed through the air, and a bright ball of lightening appeared 40 feet above the edge of the lake. A body dropped from the ball of lightening and smashed into the ground sending up a giant dust cloud. As the dust cleared Akira saw Harry striding towards the lake, a small grin on his face.

The crowd went into hysteria at the appearance of Harry. He had apparently appeared in midair and easily landed a 40 foot jump and walked away as if it was nothing. Akira had recognized both skills and drew a breath of relief. Seismic step was a specialty of Nambung. Harry had clearly not wasted his time away from school.

"Hey guys," Harry said, shaking the hands of the other contestants. "I hope I am not late. From the fact we are not yet in the bitterly cold water I assume we have yet to start."

"What in the world was that?" Cedric asked, patting Harry on the back. "That was one amazing entrance. Were you hiding up there?"

"No, I apparated," Harry explained. "I didn't want to appear inside one of you and it was from pretty far away. The landing isn't too hard if you know what you are doing."

"Don't be ridiculous Harry," Dumbledore snapped. "You know as well as I that it is impossible to apparate into Hogwarts."

"For you, maybe," Harry said with a grin. "Well, I guess that wasn't really apparition. Call it a specialty technique." Cedric smiled at relief. Harry was back, and he looked healthy. Something seemed a little off about Harry as he bantered with Krum. Then with a start Cedric realized what it was.

Whenever he had spent time with Harry before, he had always been self-effacing and fairly quiet, even when you engaged him. But now, even as they were about to dive into the unknown, he had an easy smile and seemed totally ease. Harry seemed to be dripping with confidence. If anything it bordered on arrogant. He wasn't sure if it was nerves or something new, but Cedric was sure he would find out soon.

"Ok, should we get going?" Harry said. Fleur just glared at him. Harry sighed as he saw the glare. "Actually, give me a minute." He crossed the few yards with speed that didn't allow Fleur to react and gently moved her away from the group. "I'm guessing you are pretty mad at me?"

"Pretty mad?" Fleur felt absolutely furious. Sure, Akira had confirmed Harry was probably fine, but part of her was preparing for the knowledge that her perfect match was lying dead in an unmarked grave.

"It was no entirely my decision to return so late in the game," Harry explained. "Let's go rescue Luna, McGonagall, Hermione, and whoever else is down there and then I'll let you yell at me."

"What?" Fleur took a step back in surprise. "How do you know who is down there?"

"I can sense them," Harry said, looking surprised as well. "You can't?" Fleur shook her head. She had heard rumors about sensory magic, that incredibly powerful wizards could sense magic from their opponents in a duel. But the hostages were through thousands of feet of water. What in the world had happened to Harry while he had been away to develop those powers? "Stupid Nambung. He said everyone could do it. What a liar."

"Harry, are you ready?" Dumbledore asked. "We need to hurry."

"Oh, swimming?" Harry said. "Yeah, I'm not doing that. I don't know how. But sure, get started." Dumbledore stared dumbly at the young Gryffindor. "Cedric, Victor, Fleur," he strode to the edge of the lake and slid one hand into the water, "you may want to head…" Harry paused for a moment and closed his eyes. "that way." He withdrew his hand and pointed towards the far edge of the lake, a little left of the farther point.

"Thank you," Krum grumbled. "You can feel them?" Harry him a small nod and Krum gave a grunt of surprise. "Far?"

"Swim quickly," Harry said. "Keep an eye out for grindylows, and the big one, whatever it is."

"What big one?" Akira asked. Then he felt it on the edge of his conciseness. A mass of magic sliding through the water. "What is that?" He whispered to Dumbledore.

"The task will begin at the sound of the canon," Dumbledore yelled, and then a canon banged. All three champions jumped into the water, and Harry started drawing in the dirt. "Harry, hurry in!"

"No thanks," Harry said, still drawing in the dirt. "Like I said, I don't swim. I figured I'd take a different route." He drew in silence for almost 20 minutes with the judges and students staring in confusion. A few times Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman had urged Harry to get going, but the champion ignored him. A few sections of the crowd started jeering at him. Eventually he stood, looking over the design. "That should be good. If you can clear a path?" Harry walked all the way back to the crowd 100 feet away and they seemed to part as he walked through them. "Let's go!" Harry turned on his heel and raced towards the lake edge so fast Akira could barely track him, and saw his wand snap out.

Apparently Harry had not been doodling idly in the dirt. As his wand moved the runic structure in the dirt began to shine. Akira was not a runes expert but he had studied them extensively in school and had graded Harry's test. Not only did he not recognize the runic array, but to activate a rune array on the run with considerable skill was well beyond the Harry that had left in January. Akira almost shuddered to think what six weeks of intensive training with Nambung would be like.

"HA!" Harry yelled as he stepped on the runes and then he simply jumped. Akira felt a massive amount of magic power from Harry as the runes activated and Harry reinforced his leg strength with magic. The ground he had jumped off crumbled and Akira looked up to see Harry soaring over the lake. He almost looked he was flying as he soared through the air at incredible speed.

"Woah," Akira said quietly as the crowd exploded into noise as Harry became a speck in the distance. Akira saw the speck start to arc down and Harry slashed into the water. "I guess he wasn't kidding about swimming. What in the world did he do with Nambung?"

Harry used his downwards moment to propel him to the bottom of the lake. He had hoped that he might be able to propel himself all the way to the hostages, but he could feel them a few hundred feet away from him. He grimaced as he shot a blasting spell behind him, shooting him towards them. He had messed up a little bit with the runic array so he had wasted a little bit of his magic power as he threw it into the explosive jump, which is why he was short of his intended target.

It had taken a little longer to get here then intended, but the last thing Harry needed to do was mess up the array. He might blow his legs off instead of amplifying the power. Besides, it had all worked out. Harry drifted towards four pillars in the water. He heard the singing of the merpeople as he examined the columns. He felt his heart tighten as he saw his grandmother on the second pillar.

He had been showing off a little on the lake. He couldn't help it, as Nambung had rubbed off on him. Harry realized he would need a little humbling in the near future to get off his high horse. He had sensed four people in the lake, but he had guessed that it was Hermione, Luna, and his grandmother from the clue he and Nambung had solved a few days ago. He saw his two friends on the other pillars, and he didn't recognize the fourth. As he drifted closer he saw she looked like a miniature Fleur, and realized this must be her younger sister.

He was sure the other champions were focusing on breathing, but for Harry it was simple. Near the end of February he had finally mastered keeping the thin veneer of magic around him. Despite the water hundreds of feet around him, all he had do was expand the magic around him and release it and reform it every time he felt the oxygen grow stale. He had practiced flicking the shield on and off at will before returning to Hogwarts for the task, so his only concern now was how to get the hostages back to shore.

Harry used a quick severing charm as he felt the massive surge of magic swimming nearby. It had not sensed him yet but Harry didn't have time to wait for the others. He stuck Minnie to the pillar he had freed her from and swum over towards Hermione. Instantly he felt the merpeople surround him.

"Get out of my way," Harry said. The giant magic beast was still circling, but Harry had never felt that magical signature before, and it worried him.

"Only one," one of the merpeople hissed, holding a trident to his throat.

"You asked for it," Harry muttered, and he felt the lightening start to flicker around his body. The merpeople started to draw back as the water around Harry started to crackle, but his magic already partially replenished from the jump as the runes had provided most of the power, and he was already in a bad mood. He brandished his wand at the fleeing merpeople but then heard a sound behind him.

Harry saw a pack of grindylows racing towards him. He took a glance over his shoulder and saw the merpeople regrouping across their village. Apparently they were going to take the one hostage thing seriously, and while Harry would not hesitate to cut them down, if it endangered any of the hostages it was unnecessary if he could deal with this quickly. As he moved his wand towards the pack of grindeleows, he fired two powerful blasting spells, sending the creatures running. A few of them were bigger and meaner, and carried on towards him, and Harry cast a silent movement freezing charm. The magic beasts froze and started drifting towards the bottom of the lake.

The merpeople were swimming back towards him, weapons raised. Harry allowed the lightening to flicker around his body again and the merpeople retreated. Nambung had not told him that apparently, sentient water beasts were well aware of the effect that a lightening spell could have in the water, amplifying its effects 10 fold, and apparently these creatures were smart enough to get the message. Harry cut and stuck Hermione and Fleur's sister when he heard the merpeople crying out. Harry dimly saw a larger shape drifting towards him, and recognized Cedric as he approached the village. Closely behind him was Fleur.

The bubblehead charm, Harry realized as he saw the globe of air around their face. He felt like an idiot. It was tiring to keep the magical shield around him, and he could have just concentrated it around his mouth. At this point it would have been easier to drop his shield entirely and copy the two other wizards, but it would have felt like cheating. Harry looked around for Krum but didn't see him. Had something happened to him?

He felt Krum a little while away, but something about him felt odd, almost feral. Harry turned and saw a half shark Krum slashing through the water towards him. Krum reached the pillars first and his teeth made short work of the binding around Luna. Harry gave a half wave but shark Krum was obviously incapable of anything more than simple thoughts and he swam off.

It took a few minutes for Fleur and Cedric to reach the pillars, but they both nodded to Harry but immediately went to their hostages. Harry unstuck them, but then he felt it. The massive creature was moving towards them, and it was moving fast. Harry summoned Fleur and Cedric, leaving their hostages in the open water, both of them struggling against his accio spell but it was no use. With a quick twist of his wand, he created an air bubble around them.

"What are you doing!" Cedric cried.

"No time," Harry said. "Something big and powerful is coming, and I don't know what."

"What is going on?" Fleur told him. "I need to get Gabrielle out right now."

"I suspected that someone would try and put something in place in this task, the same way that the dragon's chain was broken. Whatever is coming will be beyond you. I can only hope I can handle it. Be careful. Get out of the water as fast as you can. It looks like the hostages will awaken as soon as they touch the surface. Cedric, take Minnie."

"Minnie?" Cedric looked around. "Do you mean Professor McGonagall?" Harry cursed silently. Too much was going on as he tried to read the magical aura pulsing from the approaching creature and he had slipped.

"Yes, she is my grandmother." Cedric gave a yelp of surprise. "We have a lot to catch up on, but not now." Cedric and Fleur nodded and Harry vanished the giant air bubble. He had burned through a decent amount of his magic, but the creature was almost there, and Harry couldn't be bogged down with passengers. Cedric and Fleur grabbed the hostages and. "Ready?" They both looked at him in surprise as Harry swum underneath them. "Depulso!"

Fleur's face morphed in surprise as the charm sped towards her and she wrapped her arms around her sister. Then the rippling water seemed to accelerate and she shot towards the surface at an angle, vanishing into the murky water in an instance. Harry had tried to angle his spell so that she would come out near the shore, but he couldn't direct his aim perfectly. He couldn't sense the magic of the crowd as his magical sensors was nearly drowned out by the creature.

"Hold on tight!" Harry told Cedric, who wrapped his arms around Hermione and his grandmother. Harry send an even more powerful spell at Cedric who went whooshing off into the distance. "Whoa." Harry took a few deep breath. His magic was returning quickly, but he had used a lot of strength. Now that the other champions were gone, Harry dropped the body shield and cast the bubblehead charm. "Now let's see who you are?"

Harry turned as the shadow of the creature towards over him. He turned and his first look at the creature made him catch his breath. It was massive, a literal monstrosity. It was as bigger as a house as a ship as it floated above him. It seemed to vibrate and magic literally pulsated from the beast, running shivers down Harry's spine.

The color of the fish shifted from red to silver and back again. It had a fin the size of a large horse, and the fish circled Harry, the water swirling around Harry in a dangerous circle. It took Harry a few minutes to place the animal. It was a Ramora.

Harry eyed the fish with interest. Ramoras were generally peacefully creatures. They were guardians of seagoers and were protected by the ICW. Harry had no idea how the creature had been transported from India, where Ramoras lived. More concerning was the fact was that the vortex from the fish swimming was starting to make it hard to keep the bubblehead charm up. That, and the fact that the fish's skin was not its trademark silver, as the color had stopped flashing and was a dark red.

The Ramora stopped circling but then darted towards Harry with frightening speed.


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: Credit Kentaro Yabuki for Harry's new attack. If you read manga, and you haven't read Black Cat by Kentaro Yabuki I can't recommend it highly enough. It did get an anime if that is more your speed, but it was not as good.**

**I believe this is my longest update yet. It certainly took a long time to write!**

Chapter 44: Imminent Peril

February 24th, 1995

Harry had less than a second to grasp the fact that he was probably dead and then his oxygen deprived body was kicked into action. The fish had not moved until Harry had started casting spells, so it might be sensing his magic. Praying that he might be able to trick it, Harry shot a flurry of stinging spells all over the place. His luck was in and the Ramora stopped, looking around in confusion.

He would only have one real shot at the beast. It was fast, but it was not particularly agile. Harry fired a banishing spell at the fish but made sure not to brace himself, sending himself towards the bottom of the lake. The remora seemed to coil in anger and shot straight at Harry. Harry held his wand with both hands and braced himself as the fish neared him.

Before, the lightning had crackled around his body aimlessly. But as the Ramora reached Harry, the light seemed to expand and all rush through his body towards his extended arm in a brilliant flash of blue of white. The color's blurred together and just as the giant fish was a few feet from Harry the lightning vanished and he felt his limbs go weak. But he made sure to hold the wand out and brace himself as much as possible

"Leil Geon!"

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

February, 1995

"It occurs to me that you will need a trump card," Nambung said to Harry as they sat down for breakfast.

"What?" Harry asked.

"A trump card," Nambung repeated.

"No, I heard you," Harry told him. "I just have no idea what that is. Is it some special kind of magical card?"

"No, nothing of the sort," Nambung said. "A trump card is an expression. You have progressed admirably at your magic precision and manipulation, and your sensory magic is top-class for your age, even for those who have been training with it for longer. But all of this won't be enough if you really get in trouble. How sure are you that this task in the lake will have some kind of trap?"

"Someone intentionally broke the chain of a dragon while every eye was on it. That requires precision, planning, and a high level of skill," Harry explained. "I will be under water, potentially for up to two hours. I am not a good swimmer. There will be something bad, something as dangerous as a dragon, if not more."

"Do you have any idea who might be behind it?" Nambung asked. "I'm pretty sure that the abduction by the Vengeful Brotherhood and the dragon sabotage are separate events."

"I think so too," Harry said. "The Brotherhood seemed to want me alive if possible. The dragon attack was meant to kill me, and only Akira's quick intervention stopped it. The dragon was also an indiscriminate attack. It could have just flown away and gone wild. The kidnapping was very precise. The woman could have killed at least a few other students if she had shifted targets. But she was focused."

"Well, you seem to have your fair share of enemies," Nambung said. "Nonetheless, I think your magical precision is far enough along for me to give you a trump card. Ideally we would work on something that is unique to you, but for now I'll lend you one of my specialties." Nambung held out a finger and an electric bolt raced down his finger.

"That's just electricity," Harry commented.

"Not exactly," Nambung said. "Electricity is just a human construct of a natural phenomenon. Every living being, wizards and witches, centaurs, goblins, even muggles have a natural affinity for some kind of magic. Very few wizards ever tap into that natural magic. You are talented enough that it would not take a long time to figure out your specialty and start developing your own spells."

"Isn't spell developing very hard and dangerous?" Harry asked.

"Sure, if you want to create spells for the rest of the world to use," Nambung said with a wave of his hand. "But when you discover your specialty, you will tap into it directly. There is no knowing what your specialty will be. The plan was always to work on it over the summer, but with this tournament I can give you a backdoor."

"Ok…" Harry was very confused.

"So, you are probably thinking what does this all have to do with electricity?" Nambung explained. Harry nodded. That had been one of the first questions to come to mind. "Like I said, electricity is just an artificial creation of a natural phenomenon. What comes to mind?" Harry racked his brain, and then the answer appeared.

"Lightning!"

"Yes, that is my special ability," Nambung crowded with pride. "I have a variety of spells based around the power of lightning. I can't teach you all of them, as you don't have that affinity. Like I said, most of the spells are for me alone. But your magic is precise enough you should be able to do a few of them, with my instruction."

"And this won't be dangerous?" Harry said.

"To use them full power would be incredibly dangerous," Nambung said. "It could do permanent damage to your body or your magical core. You will also need to use them as infrequently as possible. But if you are in real danger, this could be the difference between life and death. However, because these spells will not come naturally to you, there is one more technique you need to learn before we start."

"If you think we need to wait to discover whatever my specialty over the summer is, I can wait," Harry told his teacher. This all sounded incredibly dangerous. The idea of controlling lightning gave Harry a bit of a thrill. It sounded exciting and he could imagine the energy coursing through his body. At the same time, Harry knew that this was different than other magic, and if Nambung was reluctant to teach him it was for good reason.

"I was always going to teach you some," Nambung admitted. "Just once you start, it will be harder to develop your own. Since we won't have time to do that, I suspect you will need my less dangerous techniques. First, we need to focus on your physical and magical blend."

"Haven't we already done that?" Harry wanted to know. "We have refined my Basutosutorimu a lot. I can fight for almost 5 minutes, even if I am dead on my feet after."

"Think for a moment Harry," Nambung said. "What does Basutosutorimu actually do?"

"It takes magical energy and converts it into physical energy," Harry said as if reciting from a textbook. His master frowned at him, indicating he wanted Harry to continue. "It also takes that magical energy and protects your muscles and bones so that you can go beyond the limits of your normal power, allowing me to perform attacks like Seismic Step and Slip Strike."

"Yes, so if I wanted to give you a magical trump card, what might we do? Especially with techniques that could damage your magical core?" Nambung asked.

"Oh!" It was like a lightbulb switched on in Harry's head. "There is something that is the opposite of Basutosutorimu, isn't there?" Nambung smiled at him. "Something where

I take physical energy and convert it into magic while also protecting my core from magic I couldn't normally perform without harming myself."

"Yes, that's it exactly. Normal people couldn't perform my magic no matter how strong they were, but if you learn the opposite of Basutosutorimu, you can use quite a few of my attacks. Of course, you are my apprentice so it will be expected in time." Nambung slid a book across the breakfast table. "Read up on this. I expect you to be ready to try this afternoon." His teacher left the room and Harry opened the book.

The beginning of the book talked about the theory of the spell, so Harry skipped ahead. Theory of the spells he learned at Hogwarts might be relevant, but when Nambung taught him something he didn't care in the slightest if Harry could describe the history behind the spell. He just wanted to see his apprentice use it correctly and with power.

"Shokan maho," Harry muttered to himself. A lot of the English spells he learned were derived from Latin and since he had never studied the language he could stumbled over pronunciation. He would say he was approaching fluency in Japanese, and the spells were much simpler. Anyone might be able to speak the incantation and there was no wand movement, but almost all magic he had learned from Hayashi Sensei and Nambung Sa Bum was different than magic learned from Professors.

His Asian instructors had not been as focused on wand movement or incantation. Harry suspected that this was due to their general lack of reliance on wands or verbal casting. Verbal casting with a wand could indeed help focus the power of some spells, but Harry realized that Nambung was that once-in-a-lifetime talent where he could generate varying power for any spell without a wand or incantation. For Nambung, magic was about intent. Anything could be done if you understood the basic construction of the spell. From there, the world was at your fingertips.

His Professors at Hogwarts had been almost the opposite. There was constant repetition, essays on theory, and you never moved on if you had not mastered a spell. Theory was as important as spellcasting, at least from a grading perspective. There was parity across a variety of different wizards and witches, all working towards one goal of competence.

Harry suspected that the key difference were the words safety and equality. In order to make sure that the group reached completion together, teaching had to be structured in such a way as to ensure that everyone had a chance to do well. There was also safe deployment of the spell in the form of a test, knowledge demonstrated on the page and safely in a class environment.

Nambung and Hayashi Sensei did not believe in tests or grades in the sense that he had seen in Hogwarts. Hayashi Sensei was a little softer, but he was also a proponent of the idea that the best way to learn was to experience. Hayashi might show the technique while Nambung would hit you over and over until you learned the skill necessary to stop the hit. Then he'd hit you a different way. But it ensured practical usage of the spell. His personal lessons with Minnie were similar in format, but not in damage to his body.

"Shokan maho" was a literal spell. It meant summon magic, and Harry assumed when he cast it he would feel a physical drain. It was the kind of spell he would cast verbally to understand what it felt like, but he would have to switch to nonverbal casting as soon as possible, especially if he was going to be shifting power around at high speed to maximize his potential as a fighter. The incantations were long and during a high speed fight with someone who could move the same speed as him, Harry didn't have time to reach for his wand and cast.

But he would master this technique. Harry knew that this would not represent an endpoint in his training. It seemed like even his masters trained and strived to become better in some way. No true master ever stopped improving. Yet if Harry could master "Shokan maho," it would feel like a meaningful step. And more to the point, it might be what he needed most of all: a way to survive this tournament that Harry had managed to ignore for a month. But it was almost time to return, and Harry would move mountains to make sure that when he did return to take on the challenges he would have the power to protect himself and the people he cared about.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

February 24th, 1995

Cedric helped Hermione to shore as they hit the surface of the lake. They were only 15 feet away from the edge but Hermione looked shocked so Cedric made sure she was ok before turning to McGonagall, who had already gotten out of the lake. The professor was speaking angrily to Dumbledore and gesticulating wildly to the lake.

"Good job," Akira said, helping Cedric out and throwing a towel around him, handing another one to Hermione. "Where is Harry?"

"He banished Fleur and I up here, sent me with McGonagall," Cedric explained through chattering teeth. "Akira, there was something down there. I caught a glimpse before Harry fired his spell at me to send me shooting up. It was some kind of big fish." Akira tilted his head in and his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"How big?"

"Size of a house, maybe. A big one. It had a huge fin too."

"Could it have been this?" Akira snapped his wand into his hand and started to move it. Cedric's eyes widened as a lifelike animation sprung from the wand. He stared at the life Akira had created with awe, but snapped himself into focus as he saw the giant fin.

"Yeah, it was like that, but I think it was red." Akira's head snapped up at that and the illusion vanished.

"Cedric, are you sure?" Hermione was staring at Akira as well. The tone of his voice betrayed something akin to fear.

"Well, I saw silver, but as I was flying past it seemed to change to red."

"It changed color?" Akira's face went pure white.

"Yes, I'm sure," Cedric confirmed. "Silver to red, and then it was out of sight."

"We have a big problem," Akira said, sitting down heavily. "I have to go talk to Dumbledore now." Akira raced over to the headmaster and Cedric trailed a few feet behind.

"He technically did not complete the task," Dumbledore was explaining to Akira.

"This isn't about points right now!" Akira exclaimed. "My brother is down there with a blood scented Ramora! Can I go in and help him without risking his magic? Can't you just declare the task over?" Cedric looked around at the small crowd that had formed around the headmaster. Most faces showed the same level of comprehension that Cedric felt, totally confused. But then he realized he happened to know an expert on creatures, and he now had a name to work with.

"Come on," Cedric said, dragging Hermione away from the group. He saw Krum with his arms around Luna as she leaned into his back. They were sharing a big towel which under normal circumstances would have caused Cedric to laugh a little. But the situation at the moment wasn't funny in the slightest. "Victor."

"Cedric, perhaps you could tell me why the person who arrived first is still down there?" Krum asked, levering himself to his feet. "Harry did seem to reach the hostages first. I'm am quite curious how he did so, seeing as he did not leap into the water after us."

"Time for that later," Cedric said. "Do you know what a Ramora is? Apparently there is one in the lake and Harry cast banishing spells on me and Fleur with hostages to get us out of there. I had to carry his to the surface. He is down there right now fighting it."

"A Ramora?" Krum's face betrayed confusion. "I know what they are, but it shouldn't be a problem. Ramora are peaceful creatures, no danger to a wizard of Harry's caliber."

"What if the Ramora was blood scented?" Hermione asked. Krum looked aghast. "That would be a problem?"

"That is a big problem," Krum said, rising so quickly Luna fell to the ground. "That means it will attack until it runs out of energy, and it can be quite dangerous. We need to get the judges to declare the task over. Harry will need help against-"

A beam of light smashed through the lake soaring up into the sky. It seemed to go on forever, but the light was partially blue and it was not one straight beam, but rather something changing shape constantly. After what seemed like an age the beam stopped, the rest of it flying into the sky continuing on its path unabated.

"What was that?" Cedric asked for all four of them.

"An impossibility," Krum said. "Specialty magic." The three Hogwarts students looked at Krum with confusion. "It should be impossible at such a young age, even with Harry's talent. But it is the only way that he could cast something with that much power."

"What is specialty magic?" Hermione asked.

"You do not know? Truly?" Krum seemed as surprised as earlier. "I suspect you would have come across it your reading. Perhaps the information is hidden in your restricted section. Nevertheless, it is dangerous magic. A few select students at Durmstrang consider learning it our final year if we are in the most advanced magic classes, but after learning all it entails and the danger, most choose to forsake it. Personally, I have not decided."

"Maybe let's save the intellectual debate for later," Luna said, pointing at the lake. There a massive splash and the crowd cried out in amazement as a giant red fish floated to the surface. The fish was massive, but was more impressive was the eight-foot hole in the middle of it. Some of the teachers raced over, but the fish was dead.

"A blooded Ramora," Krum breathed out. "I can't imagine what Harry did to cause that light. It must have gone straight through the Ramora. Killed it instantly."

"Then where is Harry?" Cedric asked. He glanced to the side as he said it, and saw a few tears fall from Hermione's eyes at the possibility that Harry had sacrificed himself for the other champions. Jealously welled up in his chest, but Cedric surprised it angrily. Right now was not the time to deal with his feelings of inadequacy with Hermione and her relationship with Harry.

"Over there," Krum said. Cedric peered at where Krum was pointing and saw an indistinct shape on the shore a few hundred feet away from them. "Seeker eyes," Krum said with a smile. "He might need help. Go get a healer." Hermione had shrugged out of Cedric's grasp the moment Krum pointed out the shape and was running full speed towards the human shape. Cedric looked for Madam Pomfrey or Akira as the crowd registered that Hermione was running towards a person.

By the time Cedric had managed to alert the professors, he could see Hermione with her arms around the person. They separated and as they got closer Cedric recognized the familiar tousled black hair and glasses. The crowd seemed to recognize him as well, and there was a collective intake of breath. Harry had indeed returned but had apparently come in last despite the fact that he had killed a beast as big as their dragons. Then the cheering started again.

"Sorry about that," Harry said to Fleur and Cedric as they approached him. "I hope I didn't hit you too hard, but I didn't have any better ideas about how to get you up to the surface as fast as possible."

"Forget about that," Fleur said angrily. "What happened down there?"

"It was acting strangely and I didn't have much of a choice," Harry said. "Unfortunately, I had to kill it."

"I think we all know that Fleur is not talking about that," Hermione said. Harry nodded but he looked tired. Then he looked at Fleur's legs and he seemed to perk up. Cedric followed his gaze and saw a small girl holding onto Fleur's legs, looking at Harry with worship in her eyes.

"Who is this?" Harry asked, going down on a knee to look into the eyes of the small girl, who ducked behind Fleur's legs. Apparently her hostage had been her sister, who seemed starstruck in the presence of Harry. "Your younger sister?" Harry extended a hand. "Well it is nice to meet you Gabrielle." Cedric was impressed. He had not remembered the name of Fleur's sister.

The greeting was all the young French girl needed to come out her shell and she eagerly shook Harry's hand and then clamped onto his leg, chattering in high speed French. Harry straightened but allowed the girl to grab his hand and keep talking. He had an almost amused look on his face and although he seemed to be paying attention Cedric realized Harry did not understand a word Gabrielle was saying.

"Gabrielle, come here," Fleur insisted, but Gabrielle shook her head stubbornly. "I'm sorry Harry."

"It's ok Fleur," Harry said. He cracked his back and Cedric realized Harry had grown again and was almost his height. Fleur could certainly not call him a little boy anymore, whether literal or metaphorical. "But I can't understand a word she is saying." Fleur said something sharply in French, and Gabrielle shot back at Fleur, who sniffed at her younger sister, causing Hermione to laugh.

"What did they say?" Cedric asked.

"Oh, Fleur said to leave him alone, and Gabrielle told Fleur that if she wanted Harry she should have claimed him already." Hermione shook her head ruefully. "Fleur said that she might do that just to stop her sister from being so annoying."

By now the contestants had made their way over to the judges who were all huddled together. Karkaroff kept glancing at Harry, who seemed to notice the look the headmaster of Durmstrang was giving him. He released Gabrielle's hand and moved closer to the judges. In fact, Cedric realized that Harry was putting himself between Karkaroff and the champions and their hostages. The Durmstrang headmaster was now openly glaring at Harry, who was meeting the older wizard's stare with an equal amount of disdain.

"The judges have conferred," Dumbledore said, his wand pointed at his throat. "Mr. Krum, Mr. Diggory, and Ms. Delacour all returned with their hostage within the time limit. Mr. Krum was first, Ms. Delacour second, and Mr. Diggory third. However, there were complications for Mr. Potter, who was unable to take his hostage. He took on great personal risk to ensure the safety of the other champions and the hostages."

"We will confer to discuss how many points the champions with their hostages shall receive." The crowd exploded at that. "And for Mr. Potter, who showed true bravery to deal with a dangerous beast, we will awar-" and the world around them exploded into movement.

For Harry, it had been like slow motion. He was tired, that was for sure, but the danger of the Ramora had left him in a state of heightened awareness. He saw the three masked figures materialize out of the crowd and race towards the judges. They were fast, Harry realized. Dumbledore was saying something about points, but Harry ignored the headmaster as he leapt between the judges and landed in between would-be attackers. Two of them jumped at him, and Harry exploded into action.

He nailed the closer attacker on with a vicious push kick and caught the other one with a spinning roundhouse elbow to the temple and they dropped like a stone. He looked for the third attacker and saw they had a wild smile driving a knife towards Fleur's unprotected back. Harry turned and grabbed for his wand desperately but there was nothing he could do. Then that attacker was sent flying into the lake.

Harry turned and saw Akira had his wand drawn and placed himself in between the attacker who was now rising out of the lake. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Harry turned to face the other two, and saw the one he had hit flush rising far too easily. It took him two more breaths to find his center, but then the fear was gone, and Harry began to bounce lightly on his toes, starting his engine.

The two attackers drew weapons and in that fraction of a second Harry attacked, throwing a flurry of punches. The attackers split to avoid the barrage of blows, and with them separated Harry went after the bigger one, ducking under a swipe and swinging his elbow straight up. His opponent blocked the elbow but the attack had been a feint and Harry rolled his body across the man and jumped, bringing his knee his entire body weight driving through the end of his jumping foot which smashed his knee into the jaw of the nearby attacker.

This time Harry was sure that he had put one of the attackers down and he turned to face the only one left who was inches away. Harry dodged a few swipes of the short sword and realized he had made a mistake, as this new opponent was fast, at least as fast as him in his exhausted state. He couldn't dodge one vertical swipe entirely and he felt a cut open on his chest even though he couldn't feel the pain in the heat of battle.

With a concerted effort Harry dropped the shield around his body and felt his power temporarily surge and his body lighten. He heard noise behind him, which must have been the teachers finally reacting to the insane action and coming to his aid. His attacker made one more half-hearted attempt and then turned to flee, but Harry was not about to let them get away. Harry leapt high and took aim with his wand which he snapped into his hand. The attacker must have sensed Harry because they turned and threw up a shield.

"Leil Geon," Harry whispered, barely putting any power in the spell. The small burst of lightning raced through the air and sliced through the shield as if it wasn't there. The enemy stumbled and as Harry landed he saw McGonagall and Flitwick both land spells as the would-be-assassin waved their wand with no effect.

"What did you do to me?" The attacker croaked as they fell to the ground.

"You'll find your magic might not work too well for a little while," Harry said. "Nice try though." Harry was closest to the assailant and he raised his wand to stun them and end the fight. But in an instant, the effort of the day caught up to him and Harry simply toppled to the ground, leaving all the participants in the fight stunned for a moment, except the attacker who lunged for the now prone Harry.

"Stupefy!" a girl yelled, sending a spell into the space right next to Harry, causing the attacker to jump back in surprise. Every eye in the crowd turned to Daphne Greengrass, who fired two more spells at the attacker. The attacker growled and tried to flee, but found the twin pranksters of Gryffindor in the way.

"Depulso!" One said, forcing the attacker back towards the lake. The other twin was silent but his wand flickered out in a few patterns, jets of light forcing the opponent back even further. "No one attackers our seeker and gets away with it."

"What he said. Reducto!" The assailant managed to get a shield up in time but was unable to do much other than shield as the twins continued to attack in perfect harmony. Then the shield protecting the attacker shattered as Dumbledore stepping past the twins, his wand moving quickly and the assailant fell to the ground unmoving.

"Whew!" Akira tossed the final attacker to the ground next to the one Dumbledore had stunned. "That was a tough workout." He looked around and saw Harry lying prone on the ground. "Oh no. Harry!" Akira rushed over to the 4th year Gryffindor who was lying on the ground. He waved his wand over him, and looked at Harry curiously. Then a smile broke out over his ace "You are joking!"

"Is he ok?" McGonagall asked, falling to her knees next to Akira.

"You won't believe this," Akira whispered back. "He's fine. He's asleep. Harry literally ran out of energy. A lot of things are starting to make sense now about where he was these last two months."

"What about the attackers?" McGonagall asked as Akira picked up Harry, who she could hear was now snoring, causing her heart which had stopped in fear to start moving again.

"Dumbledore can have them," Akira said. "For now, I'm going to get my brother to bed. I'm sure a lot of people will have a lot of questions, so I'd like Harry to get a chance to rest before the world goes mad again. Can you go get everyone off my back and try and regain some order?" McGonagall nodded and gave one more fond look at her grandson before hurrying back to the other teachers. Akira just chuckled and then he vanished, Harry still in his arms.

"Wait one second!" Hermione yelled as she approached Professor Hayashi, but he simply wasn't there anymore. "Professer Hayashi!"

"It's ok, Ms. Granger," McGonagall said, putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Harry is fine. He actually fell asleep."

"Seriously?" Hermione looked skeptical.

"Akira is just taking him to get some rest, as I am sure you and the rest of his friends will have a bunch of questions." Hermione nodded. "Why don't you all go back to the dorms? I'm sure he will see you all at dinner when he wakes up." Hermione looked nervous at the idea. "There is nothing you can do for him at the present moment. You know the last thing Harry would want is for you to exhaust yourself with worry." Hermione seemed to finally get the message and wandered back over to the 4th years, who seemed to be congregating around Ms. Greengrass.

McGonagall had been caught unaware by the first attack. Harry had literally disappeared in front of her eyes and she had been baffled until she heard the sound of contact behind her. It had taken a moment to get her head around the fight going on and the combatants were too fast for her to fire a spell that would hit the opponent and not clip Harry.

She was fascinated by the magic he had used. It was unlike anything she had seen before, and in her years McGonagall had seen quite a few forms of magic. His accelerated speed and strength were nothing new to her. She had seen a few training sessions between her grandson and his brother during the break and while it was nerve-wracking it was also inspiring and soothed her worried nerves. But while Harry's magic was getting stronger and more diverse, she had seen nothing to suggest that he could cast a spell that would create a human-sized hole in a Ramora.

The rest of the day was filled with rumors about how many points Harry would be awarded at dinner. Some people said that since he hadn't saved his hostage he would get 0, but others said that he should get 50 for defeating the Ramora and the assailants. The beliefs were divided among house loyalty, with most of the students from the other schools had their own feelings.

Krum had made it clear that he and Harry were friends, and despite Karkaroff's urgings to the contrary, most of the Durmstrang students were at least friendly to Harry. Meanwhile the Beuaxbatons girls were jealous of Fleur to begin with, and to see her striking up a good relationship with Harry made them even angrier at both their champion and Harry. Harry did not have too many friends among the French students.

Despite all of this, there was one person who did not care in the slightest about what their housemates thought. In fact Daphne had nearly been accosted when she returned to the common room, but a few quick spells from her wand which jumped from the quick draw holster on her waist allowed her to escape. Now she was wandering around the school with her hand hovering over her Christmas gift from Harry's master.

There was nowhere safe to go. Daphne knew where the Gryffindor common room was courtesy of Harry's lack of secret keeping but no one would dare give her the password. Even if they did Hermione was probably too concerned with her unconscious best friend to vouch for her, and while the twins would not be openly hostile they had the normal distrust that Gryffindors had for Slytherins. No, she would find no solace there.

Harry's disappearance had hit Daphne harder than she expected. It was hard enough to see him whirling around the dance floor with the most gorgeous girl in the castle even if she had ended their relationship and any chance of them going to the ball together. Her date had been courteous, but had left her very early in the night, and despite her best efforts Daphne eyes had been inevitably been drawn to Harry and she had silently watched him kiss the Beauxbaton's champion, driving a dagger into her heart.

But then he disappeared, and things got far worse. Harry had kept Malfoy in line, something Daphne did not learn of until he vanished, both with his actions and presence, without the boy-who-lived even realizing his influence. Malfoy had cornered Daphne a few times, and the only thing that kept her safe were lucky appearances by teachers. Normally Daphne could count on the support of her best friend Tracey Davis, but Tracey had started dating Malfoy's crony Theodore Nott and was sometimes hostile towards her.

Daphne felt truly isolated at school. While Hannah was still a good friend and Hermione and Susan was occasionally friendly, Daphne knew that things had to change. Now was the time to strike, while Harry owed her one. She knew it was very possible that depending on specifics of the incident by the lake that Harry owed her a life debt, which opened up all kinds of options if Harry acknowledged the debt of his free will.

If he and Fleur were indeed in a relationship, Daphne was confident that she could intercede between them, but that would only generate animosity from all her non-Slytherin acquaintances, so that was only a last resort, even though she still had feelings for the green-eyed wizard. But there was one thing Harry might be able to do for her due to his close relationships with multiple teachers and the headmaster. It was a risk, but Daphne waited until dinner before grabbing her younger sister Astoria and taking her aside to talk to her.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

Dumbledore sat at the podium looking out at the crowd, his mind whirling. Among all of the professors and headmasters he suspected that only Akira and Karkaroff, who were born outside of England and had dabbled in more dangerous magic would recognize what Harry had done. There were no spells known to Dumbledore that could do what Harry had done, which meant only one thing: Harry had learned specialty magic.

He understood the theory, of course. Dumbledore's own specialty magic was one of his best kept secrets, and during the first war he had learned that Voldemort and Bellatrix had learned specialty magic despite the total lack of availability on the information on the subject by Dumbledore's design. Every day Harry worried him more. To know a spell that could make someone else magic fail was a terrifying concept.

His physical skills terrified Dumbledore. The headmaster suspected that at the moment he could still deal with Harry, since he was a student. There was still time to guide Harry towards the light, and towards the self-sacrifice that was necessary to end the dark lord. Indeed, while Harry's ability to fight without a wand in his hand was worrying, that was not the key worry for Dumbledore. What terrified the Hogwarts headmaster was that Harry seemed to have more reasons than ever to survive due to his great friends.

Dumbledore had hoped that his offer to teach Harry would give him time to mold Harry into the perfect weapon in the war to come. But Harry was now supported by his brother by blood, the deputy headmaster and all three other champions. He did not recognize the embodiment of Gryffindor or self-sacrifice anymore, and the change in the boy-who-lived worried Dumbledore immensely. He still had many plans to make sure that Voldemort died, and to make sure Harry did not tread down the path to darkness.

The headmaster looked up in interest as the Gryffindor table started cheering. Harry walked into the hall to massive applause. Even the Hufflepuff table was cheering as Cedric walked over to hi-five Harry. As he sat Dumbledore saw what he now recognized as Harry's crew of friends gathering around him. There was Cedric, Krum and Dean, two overachievers and a prodigy according to McGonagall. There was also Amelia Bone's niece, The Longbottom scion and his girlfriend, and Lavender Brown. All four students had changed for the better under Harry's influence. There was also the French Veela, who could cause all sorts of problems in the future if Harry succumbed to her blatant romantic advances.

Of course Hermione was stuck next to him her eyes concerned even though Harry looked fine, looked better than fine. He was taller now, more muscular too though the muscle seemed effective rather than bulky. What was most interesting was that the Greengrass girl slid into the seat on his other side, talking animatedly to Harry, causing the Longbottom boy to drag Harry away from the table.

"Harry, I think there is a reason Daphne came over," Neville whispered to Harry.

"I assume because she is happy to see me back," Harry replied with an easy smile. "Don't you think so?"

"Of course, but you missed something when you passed out," Neville continued. "Harry, she saved your life. The attacker was right on top of you but she backed him off. If you were really unconscious, then you owe her a life debt."

"I do?" Harry's face clouded over with worry. "What's a life debt? That sounds really bad. Don't tell me I have to kill someone."

"It's complicated," Neville asked. "I think she came over because she knows you owe her. My advice is to wait until after dinner, acknowledge the debt, and see what she wants. I doubt she will ask you to kill someone unless it is Malfoy. Which I'm sure you wouldn't be adverse too."

"Malfoy is a ponce, but why would Daphne needed him killed?"

"I have heard some rumors about Slytherin recently, and I know Daphne's best friend is dating Nott," Neville explained. Harry's lips curled back in a sneer. "Just keep an open mind, ok? Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. Even if we ended our relationship, I trust Daphne as a person. Oh, could she ask for me us to get back together? I doubt she will, since she ended our relationship due to my reckless actions, and I seem to still have a problem with that."

"Nope," Neville explained. "She can't remove your free will. Though she might ask to get back together anyways. I don't spend time with her, but Hannah says she seems incredibly lonely. She took a chance to be with you, and it isolated her in her house. In case you haven't noticed, you have not been around a lot recently." Harry shot him a mock glare. "Just pointing it out."

"Yeah, it was hard for me to hang out with her," Harry admitted. "I'll try and do a better job. She deserves better than me."

"Well, I'm sure everyone has a ton of questions for you," Neville told him. "You planning on answering them?"

"Tonight?" Harry said. "Not a chance."

"Bravely into the lion's den?" Neville asked, causing Harry to grin wryly at him.

"We are Gryffindors," Harry added. "Time to face the music." The two boys returned to dinner and Neville watched in amazement as Harry twisted and turned to avoid any direct answers to the plethora of questions from all their friends. Even though Daphne was sitting next to him, she didn't say a word, just studying Harry which only confirmed Neville's suspicions. It would be fascinating to learn what she wanted.

"Attention all students," Dumbledore said and the hall instantly quieted. "Unfortunately we were interrupted during our discussion of points for the second task.

"Interrupted?" Harry whispered, but Hermione just put a hand over his. "Hermione-"

"There is no point," Hermione said. Harry nodded and squeezed her hand. Neville saw Cedric's eyes tighten and the Hufflepuff champion's hand clenched. Neville expected that Harry's discussion with Daphne would not be the serious conversation with far reaching ramifications tonight.

"The judges will confer, but Mr. Potter's performance was very impressive. The scores will be released soon." The Gryffindor table exploded in cheers again. All of Harry's friends complimented him, while most of the people at the table said Harry should have the most points for everything he did.

Eventually dinner ended and the students started drifting back to their dorms. Harry looked in surprise as Cedric led Hermione away, a hard look on his face. He was curious when he saw the look of worry coloring Hermione's features, but for the time he had to talk to Daphne, who seemed to realize that Harry was waiting for her. The two looked at each other with tentative smiles.

"So how have you been?" Harry asked. "I never had the chance to thank you properly for helping me save Sirius."

"It was my pleasure, really," Daphne said. "I'm just sorry he isn't free and innocent. Then he could be your magical guardian and McGonagall would not have to reveal she is your grandmother."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about my status," Harry told her. "I learned a lot of things about my rights as Lord Potter when I visited Gringotts. I'd like Sirius to be free too, but I suspect I will have some more rights in the future. Nothing major, but it will be ok this summer. I'm planning to do some traveling anyways." Daphne nodded in understanding. "Speaking of rights, I believe you have something to talk to me about, a responsibility I have."

"So are you willing to acknowledge it?" Daphne asked

"Yes. Daphne Greengrass, I acknowledge I owe you a life debt for saving my life," Harry said. Both students felt the magic flow around them.

"Woah," Daphne said. "That was amazing. I didn't realize how powerful you were, not really." Harry just shrugged. "No, seriously. Don't go handing out that information."

"Wasn't planning to. But anyways, what can I do for you?" Harry said. "You can ask me anything, and if it in my power, I will grant it. I would help without the life debt, but maybe not anything."

"Are you and Fleur dating?" Daphne asked, point blank. Harry face blanched and sighed.

"I don't know, but I doubt it," Harry said. "Although it was not entirely my fault, I expect she will be furious with me. But I think I like her, and I know that if she isn't mad, she likes me." Harry twiddled his hands nervously. Daphne saw his hands and laughed.

"Harry, I still don't want to get back together with you. I won't force you to do anything for the life debt. I thought you could help me with something, and that would clear the debt. I'd prefer if we were closer like before, but not dating."

"Yeah," Harry laughed nervously. "So why did you ask about me and Fleur?"

"I'm nosy," Daphne told him.

"Funny," Harry snapped. Daphne held up hands in mock surrender. "So…"

"I have an odd request," Daphne said. Harry saw a girl who looked a lot like Daphne waiting by the door.

"Your sister?" Harry asked, pointing out the young girl. Daphne nodded. "Does she have something to do with your request?" Daphne nodded again, and Harry noticed she looked even more nervous and upset than when she dumped him. "You can bring her over, I won't bite."

"She has a little hero worship of you," Daphne admitted. Harry shook his head and waved the girl over. Daphne heard her sister slide into the seat next to her, a giant smile on her face.

"I'm Astoria," she said.

"Nice to meet you Astoria," Harry said.

"If you don't have a girlfriend, can I be your girlfriend?" Astoria asked, causing Harry to choke on his drink. "I promise I will be better than my sister."

"How old are you?" Harry asked, causing Daphne to flinch. Then she saw Harry smiling, and realized he was joking.

"Second year, but I turn 13 this summer," Astoria proclaimed proudly. "If you prefer, my father can send you a marriage contract for when I am older."

"I'm sorry Astoria, but maybe let's just be friends first," Harry said. Astoria gave a humph and turned away. "So what can I do for you both?"

"We need to get out of Slytherin," Daphne blurted out.

"I'm sorry, but I swear that I just heard you said you want to leave your house," Harry stuttered. Daphne nodded. "Um, I know I said I'd do anything within my power, but I doubt I could do that. I'd also need some type of explanation."

"The explanation isn't important," Daphne replied.

"It's Malfoy," Astoria explained. "He and his cronies have been threatening us." Harry's eyes tightened.

"Malfoy,' Harry snarled rising to his feet.

"Sit down!" Daphne shouted. "Don't be an idiot. If you pick a fight with Malfoy you certainly can't help me. I want out of Slytherin, and you can help."

"How?"

"Two reasons," Daphne said. "You are related to two professors. Also, Dumbledore likes you. It's so obvious with all the points he gives you at the end of every year."

"I did earn those points," Harry countered.

"Sure, but he wants something from you. I don't know what, but I think he would do anything to ensure your support. You get him to put that hat back on my head, and I'll be on my way out of the snake den post haste."

"Look, I know Slytherin is a dangerous house, but you do seem to be cunning in a way that you aren't in other ways."

"Not brave, loyal, or wise?" Daphne countered. "Astoria could easily be resorted into Gryffindor for bravery, and I don't care where I go, even if I prefer Gryffindor or Hufflepuff because I have friends my own age in those houses. I see you guys in classes, but the common room is getting a little dangerous, and now that my best friend is dating Nott, she is not necessarily in my corner too often."

"It's crazy for us," Astoria said. "Even if it's just my sister, she needs to get out. We need your help." Harry's eyes glazed over, and he remembered what Neville had said when he pulled him away. The glaze left his eyes and he blocked out Astoria, staring at Daphne. She did look lonely. And it was his fault.

"I know it's a hard thing to do-"

"Ok, I'll try my best to help," Harry said with a resigned sigh. He didn't actually mind if Daphne was out of Slytherin. It might make it easier for Dean and Lavender to like her, as they were still a little frosty on Daphne, if she ended up with the lions. Daphne looked at him in surprise, but Harry just inclined his head. If she was truly in danger, he would figure out a way to get her out of it.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Astoria cried, throwing her hands around Harry's neck. Harry was a little speechless and he could feel Astoria's tears on his robe. He was better with his touch phobia, but this was making him incredibly uncomfortable.

"Astoria, calm down," Daphne said, dragging her sister off Harry. "Seriously, thank you."

"Thank me after I do this," Harry told them. "Just to be clear, is my life debt wiped out even if the professors don't agree?"

"You don't want to be indebted to me?" Daphne questioned

"Not particularly," Harry admitted, "but that is not the point. You are too sneaky." Daphne flashed him a smile at that. "Chances are I can get Dumbledore to meet with you. I can't admit it will change his mind. So maybe we should have a back-up plan."

"You get us in there, I'll talk him around," Astoria said. "No man can resist a young maiden's tears." Harry raised an eyebrow, suspecting that tears would not sway the headmaster. "Well, Dumbledore and you are special, but still."

"I should tell you guys something," Harry said as they trooped towards McGonagall's room. "You can talk to the hat, and it will take your choices into account. I certainly did."

"The hat didn't want to put you in Gryffindor?"

"Well, it was fine with Gryffindor," Harry explained, "but it was also thinking about Slytherin. Does that surprise you?"

"No way!" Astoria looked astonished, but Daphne was just thoughtful.

"So the hat may want to sort you in Slytherin again, but you can just tell it to shove it. It listened to me, Malfoy turned me off to your house when he insulted Ron."

"Ha!" Daphne laughed. "So you mean to tell me if you hadn't met Weasley and Malfoy, you would have ended up in Slytherin? That might have dramatically shifted our school lives."

"Daphne, I'm just one person," Harry told her. "Life doesn't shift around me."

"Sure like Dumbledore is one person." Harry scoffed at that idea. He really has no idea," Astoria asked her sister. Daphne shook her head. "That is adorable."

"I have no idea as to what?" Harry asked.

"The power and influence you have here at school," Daphne explained. Harry disagreed, but now was not the time to get into that argument as they had reached his grandma's door.

"Hey Minnie you in there?"

"Minnie?" Astoria gasped.

"Yeah," Harry explained. Daphne's sister looked floored. Realization flooded over Harry like a massive wave. "You never told her?"

"Harry, it was a secret," Daphne explained. "Why would I tell her?"

"Well, I guess she knows now," Harry said. "Astoria, McGonagall is actually my grandmother. My mom was adopted." Astoria was muttering in shock. "I'd very much appreciate it if you could keep that a secret."

"So you are a full pure-blood?" Astoria asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry realized as the door opened.

"Miss Greengrass, and Miss Greengrass," his grandmother said. "Quite a surprise, given that curfew is almost upon us. I take it from Harry's use of my informal name, they both know."

"Uh, I learned just now," Astoria admitted. McGonagall shot Harry a look that spoke volumes, and Harry just shrugged.

"Sorry Grandma Minnie."

"I guess a few people will figure out we are closer than professor and student since I was your hostage," McGonagall asserted as she allowed them into his room. "Dumbledore wanted to use Ron, but I offered myself up."

"Ron?" Harry asked. "I have barely talked to him since the tournament was announced. Literally not more than a few conversations."

"Well, that was why I was your hostage." McGonagall looked at him, and then hugged him tightly. "It was very brave what you did today." Then she released him and smacked him on the shoulder. "And very crazy. Don't ever scare me like that again."

"It's not like I go looking for trouble," Harry mumbled, and everyone fixed him with a curious glare. "Well, I'll try my best."

"I've heard that before," Daphne whispered under her breath, though Harry heard her and smiled. For the first time their break-up, Harry felt like they might actually be able to be friends again.

"So why are you all here so late?" McGonagall asked. Harry looked at the two Greengrasses, who glanced right back. Harry shook his head, and Daphne glared at him. Harry just crossed his arms and gestured to McGonagall.

By the time Daphne and Astoria had explained the entire story, McGonagall was ready to interrogate Snape to learn the Slytherin password, march into the common room and hex Malfoy within an inch of his life. All three students were able to talk her off that ledge, with Harry eventually admitting he had a plan for Malfoy, which he would reveal as long as McGonagall did not mention any of this to Dumbledore. If the old wizard learned his plan, Harry was sure the headmaster would try and stop it, and he couldn't have that happening, not if he wanted to deal with Malfoy's behavior permanently. He had wanted this confrontation for a long time, and he would not be denied anymore.

So with McGonagall in tow they marched to the headmasters office. Astoria was incredibly excited as she had never been to Dumbledore's office before. Even Daphne was curious as to where Dumbledore lived. It made Harry laugh a little, and he realized once again that he was not like most students, even if he was sure that Daphne and Astoria were incorrect in their assessment of his "influence" on the students.

As they reached the office, McGonagall just stared at the gargoyle, but the stone creature didn't move. Harry moved next to McGonagall, but still the gargoyle remained stationary.

"Do you think he knows why we are here?" McGonagall mumbled.

"Don't know, don't care," Harry replied. "Acid Pops, Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Cauldrons, Ice Mice, Treacle Fudge-" The Gargoyle swung out as Harry said the last one. "Ha!" He started up the stairs with McGonagall behind him, but the two Greengrasses stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"Treacle Fudge? Really?"

"He has a sweet tooth. If you ever need to get in, I suggest just naming Honeydukes items until one of them works. Now are you coming or what? Best to get this over quickly," McGonagall explained. Daphne and Astoria were right behind them as they entered the headmaster's office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk looking expectantly as they entered.

"Quite an unusual assortment at this time of night," Dumbledore commented. He had that twinkle in his eyes that seemed to make everyone more compliant, and it frustrated and amazed Harry how he could do it. "Would you like a lemon drop?"

"It is quite an unusual request Albus," McGonagall said ignored the offer of the lemon drop. Her eyes were slightly averted, which made Harry smile and Dumbledore frown. Daphne knew enough Occlumency to beat back a passive scan and whispered to Astoria, who instantly stared at the ground. "Miss Greengrass, younger and elder. I assume that the reason that my transfiguration professor and her grandson are at my office at night has something to do with you." If Dumbledore was hoping to get a reaction out of Daphne or her sister he did not get it, and Harry saw his eyes tighten.

"Headmaster, my sister and I would like to be resorted out of Slytherin."


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: I have recently started a new fic, called Ready Player Harry that will be going up soon. It's a Harry Fleur Time Travel Fic, and if you like that pairing and my writing I hope you read, follow, and favorite. Fear not, Harry Kicks Ass (Literally) will be completed, but I needed to take a break after the emotional exhausting chapters we have coming up. But updates might slow a little while I play in a new sandbox.**

Chapter 45: The Greengrass Clan

February, 1995

"I'm sorry, I believe I heard you wrong," Dumbledore said.

"I said the same thing," Harry told him with a laugh. "Can't say I blame them all too much. Snakes are the worst." Daphne punched him on the arm. "Of course present company not included. Thought that went without saying."

"Mr. Potter, your animosity towards Slytherin house is well documented," Dumbledore started. The old wizard paused, looking for the right words.

"It has nothing to do with Harry," Daphne spat. Harry leaned back against the wall in surprise at the vicious hiss of Daphne's voice. He would let her handle this for now. He had seen Daphne angry regularly, when they were dating or hanging out before their ill-fated relationship. But it was not anger in her eyes right now. It was a combination of hatred and fear.

"Miss Greengrass, you and your sister were sorted into Slytherin when you entered the school," Dumbledore stated. "I cannot control the hat or tell it what to do. It is beyond my power to-"

"Oh, stuff your trap," An odd voice rang out in Dumbledore's office. "Of course it is beyond your power." Harry looked around for the voice but didn't see anything. "But it is well within mine."

"I urge you to reconsider," Dumbledore said as he turned, and the edges of Harry's mouth rose in a tiny smile as he saw that Dumbledore was talking to the hat. "If we allow some students to be resorted, what is stopping everyone from asking to be resorted? We would throw the system of Hogwarts into madness."

"Would that be such a horrible thing?" Minerva asked. "Albus, while the house system has some benefits, it does cause divisions within the school, some of which are never repaired. I think that Mr. Potter's motley group is an example of what so many people from different houses, even schools can accomplish."

"What do you mean?" Astoria asked.

"As you are all well aware, Miss Granger rests at the top of the year rankings, as she has done since the first day here." The Greengrass sisters nodded, and Harry snorted. "Behave Harry." Harry just smirked at his grandmother. "And I will exclude my grandson due to his unusual circumstances. But the rest of the group has dramatically improved."

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked.

"Have your grades not improved dramatically in many different classes since your association with other houses?" McGonagall asked. Daphne's eyebrows rose as she considered the question. Her potions grade had gone down, but Snape was such a misanthrope when it came to Harry that it was no great surprise. But the Gryffindor head of house was right. Whether it was Neville helping with Herbology, Luna and Susan with charms, Cedric or Krum with defense, Hannah with transfiguration, or Hermione with everything she was surrounded by people who helped her raise her grade.

Her father had even commented over Christmas break that he was exceptionally pleased with her marked improvement for her mid-year exams. Her potions grade had dipped to acceptable, and as a former Slytherin her father gave her a raised eyebrow when he saw that. But every other class, even History of magic, was at least an Exceeds Expectations, with more Outstandings than anything else. Daphne had not considered if her improvement had come from associating with people outside her house, but it made sense.

"I guess you are right," Daphne said. "It has actually been great to get so many different viewpoints, and there are certain classes my year mates in my house are just no good at. People like Hannah and Neville have been great help."

"But to resort the girls would still be calamitous!" Dumbledore exclaimed.

"You are the headmaster," Harry said. "You don't have to explain anything. Put the hat on their head and have them sit at their new table. If you want, I'll take them to their new houses tonight. You can just have a house elf move their stuff."

"I am willing to look into the girl's minds," the hat said. "But be forewarned. If I deem that you still belong in Slytherin, I will not hesitate to tell you that and you will return."

"Why are you doing this?" Dumbledore asked.

"Ah, you do not know all that went down in the chamber?" The hat seemed almost smug. Dumbledore whipped his head up in surprise. "Yes, Mr. Potter slew a basilisk, but that is not all that went on. Mr. Potter, is there a reason you kept some of what happened from the headmaster?"

"At the time, no," Harry said, choosing his words with care. "But now, I think it is a little personal."

"You may not have all the necessary information regarding Tom Riddle," the hat said.

"Like I said," Harry said with gritted teeth. "It's personal. I'm looking forward to it."

"Harr, if you know something about Tom I encourage you to-"

"Leave it alone!" Harry shouted. "You had your chance to deal with him. It's my turn now!" His eyes were blazing and suddenly everyone registered Harry's wand was in his hand. His magic was literally visible, flaring in the office and forcing everyone back. Then a mournful song started, soaring through the room and Harry's magic slowly vanished as Fawkes trilled out his song. "Sorry Fawkes."

"Harry, what happened in the chamber?" Minerva asked, putting her arm on his shoulder. "I know you killed the basilisk but did something else happen down there. If it involved he-who-must-not-be-named, I think the headmaster is correct. You should indeed share it."

"Oh, are we sharing now?" Harry snapped. "Then I assume that Dumbledore would not mind telling everyone about the prophecy that started all of this." Dumbledore literally flinched. "No?"

"How do you know the prophecy?" Dumbledore's face was white. "Do you know what it means?"

"Don't want to share?" Dumbledore remained stone faced. "Then I think I'll pass too. Let's get to resorting, why don't we?"

"Yes indeed. Deputy Headmistress, if you wouldn't mind?" McGonagall shook herself out of her shock at seeing Harry and the Headmaster face off. Dumbledore and Harry hadn't looked away from each other, their eyes locked, both of them seeming furious. Dumbledore was understandably upset because Harry was hiding something about Voldemort. She couldn't figure out why her grandson was so furious, but she would ask him soon and try and coax some type of answer from him.

"Thank you," Astoria said as the hat settled on her head. Both girls looked a little shaken from seeing Harry and Dumbledore seconds away from trading spells, but the hat then took center stage. Daphne started to wring her hands as she stared at her sister, whose lips were moving silently. Daphne vaguely remembered the hat talking in her head, but she had not talked back. It took a few minutes, but finally the hat laughed.

"Very well, young Miss Greengrass. I hope you enjoy the rest of your school career in Gryffindor." Astoria smiled and shrugged the hat off her head. She sat down next to Harry, who smiled at her.

"Well, now that I'm in Gryffindor can I have my father set up the marriage contract?" Astoria said with what could only be described as an impish smile.

"Ah, I think it's best if I speak to him first." They both turned to Daphne, who hadn't moved. "Daphne?"

"What if it still says Slytherin?" Daphne asked, her face ashen. "I know I'm cunning, more cunning than loyal, brave, or wise. It's who I am but Harry, I can't go back there."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. Daphne nodded. "Ok. Hold on a moment." Harry grabbed the hat and put it on his head. "I'll talk to him."

_Well Mr. Potter, it is quite fascinating being in your head all these years later. You seem to be more Slytherin now then you were all these years ago._

_You know this isn't about me, it's about my friend._

_Just your friend?_

_What do you want me to say? That I was in love with her? That it wouldn't be fair to be with Fleur because sometimes I think about Daphne?_

_Is that how you feel?_

_Maybe. I don't exactly have the best adult role models to talk to. You should know, you can see inside my head._

_Your occlumency barriers are quite impressive, perhaps the best I have ever seen, though I have not sat on many heads that are not 11 year old. I would appreciate if you could lower them._

_I hope you don't mind if I look away from the headmaster if I do that._ Harry felt the hat give its agreement and Harry looked at Fawkes as he lowered his defenses. The bird seemed to smile and ghosted over to Harry's arm. Harry stroked the plumage, which allowed him to relax and not lash out with his mind as he felt the hat go through his memories.

_Indeed, Mr. Potter, your choices for advice from older males in relationship could not be poorer. If someone had told me that Sirius Black would be the best source of relationship advice for someone that the fate of Britain hangs on when he was sorted, I would have despaired for Hogwarts._

_You think I should talk to Sirius?_

_It does seem to be the best choice. Mr. Lupin is convinced he does not deserve love, Mr. Takashi seems destined to be in a marriage with a woman he actively dislikes, and your master has already resigned himself to the life of a monster, as I am sure he has discussed with you. While Mr. Black certainly has his flaws when it comes to the fairer sex, he did find love, and from what I can see from your mind, she does love him even with his flaws, rather than despite them. I sorted them both, and they are certainly an unlikely pair. That means hard work and dedication._

_Hey, we have gotten horribly off topic!_ Harry felt the hat laugh in his head. _This is about making sure you don't put Daphne in Slytherin!_

_You would not have done this if you didn't believe that there was a real threat I would put her back into the snakes den._

_Because she is right. She is tailor made to be a Slytherin. But right now her cunning doesn't matter. All the cunning in the world won't help someone who is dead._

_Surely you don't believe your school mates are capable of murder?_

_I don't know. But I know that some of them are capable of some awful things. Regardless of our feelings, if Daphne was willing to use a life debt to get this from me, you know it was bad._

_If I am unwilling to let the Headmaster influence me, what makes you think you can change my mind?_

_I'll make you a deal. If you don't put Daphne back in Slytherin, I won't cut you into tiny pieces and feed you to the giant squid. _Harry yanked the hat off his head and tossed it to Daphne. "Ok Greengrass. You are up." She looked at the hat apprehensively. "Daphne. It will be fine.

_Ah, Miss Greengrass. It is a pleasure to see you again._

_Hello. I didn't expect this._

_You will pleased to know that it seems Mr. Potter is still wrapped firmly around your little finger. Of course, you are well aware that your fearless leader is devoted to his friends in a way that very few are, but I sense that you would be more than happy to resume your former status at his side._

_Of course I would! But I don't know I could do it again. Breaking up with him the first time was hard enough. Besides, he has someone else._

_Well, are you brave enough to put your heart on the line?_

_No_, Daphne thought after a moments silence. _Better to always be his friend, to keep the friends I have made through him. There is only one Harry Potter, and I can always be his friend, but never more. Not again. He needs more than me in the future. He deserves better._

_Your loyalty to your friends is impressive, and you lack the bravery needed to place you with your sister. I would very much like to keep Mr. Potter from carrying out his threat on me, so it is into Hufflepuff you will go. But a word of caution about the future before I announce my choice, Miss Greengrass. The future is vast and no one can see what it leads, not I, Dumbledore, Mr. Potter, or even death. But if someone who wants you does indeed deserve better, perhaps it is on you to make yourself better. Or perhaps it is you who should see yourself the way they see you._

_I'll keep that in mind._

_Please, Miss Greengrass. Do not presume to try and trick me. I am just a simple hat after all. Besides, you know something that no one else in this office knows, not even Dumbledore. I imagine it will shock most everyone in the office if you were to let them know._ Daphne smiled at that. She had totally forgotten until that moment, but she did indeed have a crucial secret. Harry would find out soon enough. She could wait until then.

_Very well then. Now if, you don't mind, I'd like to visit my parents tonight to tell them, so if we could get on with it._

"Give Professor Sprout my regards in Hufflepuff." Daphne smiled and placed the hat back down on Dumbledore's desk.

"Hufflepuff," Astoria said, her voice not betraying any emotion. "Really?"

"I would urge caution, Astoria," Harry said with a lazy smile. "I doubt I would be willing to marry anyone who would disparage any other house." Astoria looked scandalized, and Harry just shook his head. "I think it is a good choice."

"Of course it is a good choice," the hat said. "I made it." Harry just gave a curt nod to the hat. "Now, I believe it would be best if the Greengrass girls could visit and inform their parents. I imagine that part of your reasoning was that this would distract from the talk about the aftermath of the second task. I maintain you would have done well in Slytherin, Mr. Potter."

"I know," Harry said with a shake of his head. "Minnie, could you make sure they have their stuff moved for tomorrow? They can spend tonight at home I think. It's late, and I think that Daphne will need a long conversation with Susan and Hannah, and I'd like to talk to a certain Natalie McDonald before Astoria starts living in our tower. That's all best done with the sun up."

"We are not done here," Dumbledore said. "I have to approve any of this, and the girls will certainly be staying here."

"We are done because I say we are," Harry said, a calm defiance coloring his voice. "Minnie?"

"I will take care of it and notify Professor Sprout. Headmaster, if you could lend them the floo?" Dumbledore stared angrily at his deputy headmistress.

"Not necessary." Harry hugged both the young girls to his body. "See you tomorrow morning grandma." He leaned into Daphne and Astoria. "Think of your home and only that," Harry whispered. They both nodded, and then with a crackle and flash of light the three students were gone.

"Well, I have some organization and reshuffling to do, as I believe it would be in the best interest of the sisters to join their housemates in all the possible classes. If you don't mind, Albus." Minerva left the office, leaving the Headmaster of Hogwarts in shock.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

"Dear, would you mind grabbing some milk?" Noah Greengrass called.

"Of course not," Abigail Greengrass replied, and one minute later she sat across from him in their living room. They both had a cup of coffee in their hands, sitting contentedly after a long day. Noah smiled at his wife as he poured the milk into his coffee to give it a familiar flavor, and they sat in companionable and comfortable silence. Just as Noah sat down his cup he felt the wards flicker.

"That was odd," Noah said. "For a moment, I felt the wards flicker."

"Flicker?"

"Like they were trying to repulse something." Noah then heard a muttered curse. He instantly drew his wand and pointed it towards the front door. "Abigail, get upstairs now!" He saw someone step into the room and fired a bone breaker without hesitation. Noah saw with horror as Astoria stepped from the shadows and the bone breaker raced towards her. But then another body appeared from the shadows, taking the spell on his arm.

"Ahhhh!" The mystery man yelled in pain, collapsing to the floor. "Good lord, that hurt!"

"Oh my god, Harry!" Daphne cried rushing forward. Lord Greengrass still held his wand out, shocked. His daughters were keyed into the wards and the floo, but they couldn't apparate. Apparently, Harry Potter, a lord in his own right who outranked him by an order of magnitude had just had his arm broken by Noah's own spell. What's more, it seemed likely that the appearance of the tri-wizard champion was intrinsically tied to the appearance of his daughters.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Astoria said with her hands on her hips.

"Astoria, Daphne, please explain how you are in this house," Abigail said, drawing her own wand.

"Wait!" Harry yelled. "Lord Greengrass, please ask each of your daughters something only they would know!" Noah nodded. It was a good idea, proving that the girls were who they said they were.

"Daphne, what was the name of the stuffed bear you slept with until you were 12?"

"Mr. Snuggle," Daphne said, her eyes flashing with anger as Harry chuckled.

"Astoria, what did you say when I offered to check your room for monsters when you got older?"

"I said I was sure that my room was safe, but if you wanted to check to be sure, you could." Astoria said.

"Ok," Abigail said with a sigh. "So you are indeed my daughters. I take it from your presence that we should heal this young man."

"I'd offer you my hand to shake, but I'm afraid it's broken," the young man said, rising. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm Harry Potter."

"That arm looks nasty," Daphne said as she stared at Harry. "Do you want to head back to Hogwarts and have Madam Pomfrey look at it?"

"I doubt I could at the moment," Harry admitted. "Flashing like I just did takes a lot out of me, especially if I have to break through wards. Hogwarts wards aren't too bad since I have been around them for the last 4 years, but the wards on your house are some of the toughest I have ever seen." Harry looked around curiously. "If you do not mind me asking sir, did a British wizard do your wards? They are very impressive, and I didn't even recognize some of them when we came through. I had to use brute force, which is rare for me."

"I'm sorry, how did you manage to get through the wards?" Noah asked still holding his wand, ready to strike if needed.

"My arm is killing me," Harry admitted. "Do you mind if I fix it before we have a longer discussion?"

"You can fix it yourself?"

"Yeah, it will be exhausting, and I'll need to stay in your guestroom tonight if that's ok."

"Of course it's ok," Daphne said before her parents said anything. "Dad, you can put your wand away too."

"Great," Harry said. He extended his wand and pointed it at his arm. All four Greengrass stared in surprise as Harry's arm started vibrating. A look of intense concentration came over Harry's face and then Daphne heard the bones in his arm start to crack. Lumps formed under Harry's arms, and then with a flash of gold his arm was totally healed. "Wow, that was harder than I thought. My compliments on your bone-breaker sir. It was very powerful." Harry slumped to the couch and closed his eyes. "If we did not need to have a discussion right now, I'd go to sleep."

"Are you ok?" Daphne said, concern in her eyes. Abigail saw the concern and smiled to herself. When Daphne had returned for the holidays, she had talked about her breakup, and how she didn't have feelings for Harry anymore. A mother always knows, and Abigail had suspected she was lying. It was good to have confirmation.

"Yeah," Harry said, his eyes still closed. "I really don't like doing that."

"Why didn't you just block my dad's spell?" Daphne asked. Harry opened his eyes and glared at Daphne. "Ok, withdrawn." Harry just hmphed and closed his eyes again.

"So, why exactly did you come home?" Noah asked as he got up to get tea for his daughters.

"Well, I haven't mentioned it my last few letters, but since Tracey started dating Nott, Slytherin has been getting…" Daphne trailed off.

"Nasty and extremely dangerous," Astoria finished. Daphne put a hand on Astoria's arm. "What, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I don't think anyone realized how much Harry kept Draco in line, and he is being particularly nasty."

"Nasty how?" Their mom asked.

"Well, he has actually started to throw his weight around, spells and fights with some of the older students who don't fall in line. With me it's just innuendo, but don't be too surprised if some of the older death eaters approach you and dad soon enough," Daphne said. "They are getting ready for something."

"Your mother and I are well documented neutrals," her father said. "Do not worry about us. Do you truly see the stirrings of blood purity in your house?

"Oh, assuredly so," Harry said. "They are getting ready for something alright."

"Plan on sharing?" Daphne snapped.

"No." Harry shrugged. "I can't be sure. I've been away from England for almost two months. I need to do some investigating before I start throwing around dangerous accusations and theories."

"Theories like what?"

"Some of the death eaters have found a way for Voldemort to come back to life and regain his body." The rest of the house was silent. "Like I said, I can't be sure. Besides, right now I have bigger fish to fry."

"Bigger than Voldemort?" Noah asked, still a little shaken. While he had not been alive during the Dark Lord's reign of terror, this young boy was treating the potential threat of Voldemort with a blasé calm that disturbed him. Harry Potter was certainly an interesting enigma, but one that made him apprehensive. "You do realize you are talking about a very dangerous man, if he can return. I am under the impression he is dead."

"Oh, he isn't. Not yet," Harry explained. He narrowed his eyes as he sat up, looking at Noah. "How's your occlumency?"

"What?"

"Your occlumency," Harry repeated. "Is it any good?"

"It is better than my daughter," Noah said stiffly.

"Hmmm." Harry had been mulling an idea over in his head for the last few days, but he couldn't chance it with Noah Greengrass. "Nevermind." Daphne just punched him in the leg. "What? Daphne, if I wanted to don't you think I could penetrate your shields with active legilimency? Dumbledore is around 100 times better than me."

"You would ask me to keep a secret from Dumbledore?" Noah asked.

"No, I'm not asking you to do anything," Harry countered. "But I do need to figure out a way to keep an eye on Slytherin."

"Could my daughters not do that for you?" Abigail asked. "Assuming you keep those who might threaten or harm them in line."

"As much as I'd like to, I can't keep an eye on your daughters every day," Harry said. Daphne blushed furiously, which did not surprise Abigail, But to see Astoria blushing as well made her curious. "Not to mention Daphne saved my life earlier today and called in her life debt." Both parents were surprised by this. "So I got them resorted."

"Resorted?" Abigail asked, confused.

"You are looking at the newest fourth year Hufflepuff and second year Gryffindor," Harry said. "It actually works out well, as Daphne already has a few female friends our age in Hufflepuff, and I know a second year Gryffindor that I think Astoria will get along famously with. Unless you have a problem with muggleborn witches."

"Not at all," Abigail said, and his daughter nodded emphatically. "We don't stand for that kind of blood purity nonsense. Our daughter wouldn't be good friends with you, seeing as your mother was muggleborn."

"Wow," Harry said, turning to Daphne. "I have to give you credit. You are remarkably good at keeping secrets. Like, insanely good. To not tell your sister is one thing, but to not tell your parents is impressive."

"It's none of their business," Daphne replied with a huff.

"No, I guess not," Harry said. "Most of the wizarding world believes it, so it must be true." Noah laughed a little at that. "But that is why your daughters are home. I figured it would be best they give the news to you firsthand. Now, if you wouldn't mind pointing out a bedroom to me, I don't know that I have ever been so tired." Noah left to show Harry to a spare bedroom, leaving Abigail alone with her daughters.

"So, Harry Potter has come to our house," Abigail said quietly. She just wanted to gauge the reaction of her daughters. Unsurprisingly, Daphne's face gave nothing away. Her daughter might be in Hufflepuff, but Daphne was the quintessential Slytherin. Astoria's face was much more demonstrative, looking at the door Harry and her father had left through with what could only be described as longing. "As far as first impressions go, he is impressive."

"Isn't he dreamy?" Astoria said with a wide smile. "You know I asked him if I could get him to sign a marriage contract with me?"

"You did?" Abigail gave her daughter a tolerant smile.

"He said he would think about it," Astoria told her mother, and Abigail's face immediately flashed with anger. Daphne saw her mother's face and laughed.

"No, Astoria, he said he would talk to dad about it first." Instantly her mother relaxed. Daphne knew her mother had been worried that Harry might have actually done something stupid, and Daphne knew from experience that Astoria could be more convincing and charming than her age, but Harry was not an idiot.

"Ah," Abigail said. "That is good to hear. Now it is late, and you will have to go back to school tomorrow, especially since you will be in new classes with new classmates. Astoria, why don't you go to sleep?" Astoria looked peeved, but eventually agreed and left the room.

"I don't need sleep either?" Daphne asked with a grin.

"Oh, you do, but we will wait for your father to get back, and then we will have a serious discussion." Abigail stared her daughter down until Daphne was twisting uncomfortably, but soon Noah arrived.

"I was barely out of the room when he crashed," Noah said, sitting down next to his wife. "He honestly looks like death, and that doesn't take into account the fact that I broke the poor boy's arm."

"Harry isn't poor in any sense of the word," Daphne snapped, "not to mention he is not a boy either."

"He is indeed a boy," Abigail said, "even if his experiences have made him mature." She shared a glance with her husband. "But regardless of Lord Potter's wealth, we have other things to discuss."

"Three important things, I believe," Noah said. "First, Hufflepuff?"

"Yes, I think that Slytherin was legitimately dangerous for Astoria and myself."

"And you are happy with this placement?"

"Would I have preferred Gryffindor? Probably. But it took serious convincing to allow the hat to resort us. It's better than Ravenclaw. I have friends now, friends who will watch out for me in the house."

"That's good," Abigail said with a tolerant smile. "I also heard something about a life debt?"

"Yes, in the aftermath of the second task some would be assassins attacked the champions. Harry and our DADA teacher took care of them, but Harry was exhausted from the task and collapsed before he could finish off the last attacker. I reacted quickest and stopped him from killing Harry. Two of Harry's friends were right behind me, and then Dumbledore stunned him."

"This is not the first time that students have been forced to take matters into their own hands," Noah said. He looked critically at his daughter. "You and Astoria speak French. I suspect I know the answer to this, but would you be adverse to moving to Beauxbaton next year?"

"You already know the answer to that, like you said," Daphne told her father.

"Now dear, there is no need for that, not yet," Abigail said, laying a comforting hand on her husband.

"Besides, while Harry is technically a kid, he is anything but in reality," Daphne explained. "While we were dating, he opened his heart to me. Some of the things he has done would baffle your mind."

"Such as?" Noah asked. "Who is the boy behind the scar?" Daphne twisted her mouth into a scowl.

"Daphne," Abigail said. It was her mother, not Lady Greengrass, that persona that stunned other purebloods entirely shelved "If there are real threats, you need to tell us. How about second year? Your father and I have already made some suppositions. But we need you to be honest with us. Just give us an example, to understand this boy you believe in."

"Fine," Daphne said. She stood and drew her wand. "You want proof? Expecto Patronum." A giant cat burst from her wand, glancing around briefly, looking for the threat that her summoner was seeking to combat. Seeing nothing the cat disappeared into thin air. "Harry taught me that." Daphne saw no reason to tell her parents that Harry was also the memory she used to summon the Patronus.

"Really?" Noah was impressed. "Daphne, even your mother can only summon a shield. And Harry taught you?"

"He taught a lot of us. Dad, he alone can keep our entire house in check. Now that he has returned, Hogwarts is much safer, and he doesn't even know. Harry will need people to support him, that know how to use his influence. I think I can be one of those people, to help him navigate the issues he is bound to face."

"That moves us nicely to the biggest issue your mother and I have," Noah said. "You said Slytherin might not be safe for Astoria. And Harry tossed around the name of a certain dark lord. These two things wouldn't happen to be related, would they?"

"Of course they are," Daphne snapped. "The people in our house that worry me have parents that probably went crazy at the quidditch world cup. Malfoy, Nott, Parkinson, Goyle. You know the older generation of those names. They went to school with you. Would you trust them? I want to help Harry, and I could do that in Slytherin. I could possibly handle the danger by myself. But I needed an excuse to get Astoria out of there, and now she is in Gryffindor."

"Sure, Harry will look out for her. But more importantly, she is in a different dorm room, where I don't have to worry about what might happen. Astoria will make friends, and while Slytherin presented a unified front to the rest of the school, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff actually look out for each other, and they mean it. It is worth it, to me."

"Sweetie, you know we are almost never doubt your judgement," Abigail said. "But from what I understand, one of the most powerful and influential wizards in Britain owed you a life debt. You used it for Astoria. Daphne, that is an impulsive move, something you have never done before. I know you probably worried about taking advantage of your friend, but it seems like you forgot something important."

"This discussion is over," Daphne claimed, storming out of the room, causing her parents to stare at each other with worried thoughts. It took a while for the Greengrass parents to get to bed that night. Even when they did, it was a fitful sleep, colored by their worry for their daughter. There were times where parents had to let their children make mistakes, but for Noah and Abigail, there was real worry that a mistake from Daphne would have long lasting consequences.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

The next morning as all five people congregated in the living room, Noah activated the floo and Abigail talked quietly with her two daughters. Harry's hair was sticking all over the place and he frantically tried to get it to settle. Eventually as Abigail hugged her daughters goodbye, Harry had managed to arrange his hair back into its default messy setting rather than the untamed wild it had been a few minutes early.

"Well, I hope your assimilation into your new houses goes well," Noah told his daughters as they stood by the floo.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Astoria told him. "Daphne and I have always been able to make new friends. It will be great." Daphne grabbed some powder and stepped into the fire. "Where are we going?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts Office, Hogwarts!" Daphne threw the powder down and vanished into a torrent of green fire.

"Oh, one of your professor's unlocked his floo points," Noah remarked.

"Yes, Akira let me know he would keep his open," Harry remarked as Astoria stepped forward.

"It's so early, maybe we will see him without his shirt," Astoria said as she grabbed the powder. "He's dreamy!" She called out the destination and vanished right after her sister.

"She's a little boy crazy," Harry remarked as he readied himself.

"And you would never take advantage of that?" Noah asked.

"No."

"Lord Potter?" Abigail said as Harry grabbed the powder. "Please, keep my daughters safe."

"As long as I draw breathe," Harry said, before vanishing into the floo network. It was a long journey, at least 15 seconds, and as he always did, Harry collapsed out of the firework in a heap. "I hate floo travel," Harry complained as he got to his feet.

"Better than flashing a few hundred miles?" Akira asked, hauling Harry to his feet. "Sounds like you had an eventful night."

"I think we can just take the entirety of yesterday, file it away under madness, and move on," Harry told his brother. "Did all three of the attackers make it?"

"Your two did," Akira told him. "Dumbledore has them all trussed up. I had to put mine down." Harry nodded solemnly. "You dealt with them easily enough."

"I got the drop on them," Harry explained. "Besides, you took the fastest one. Thanks."

"My reaction time and recognition has gotten sloppy," Akira said. "My father would be embarrassed."

"Yes he would," Harry stated. There was no condescension or insult. Akira had stated a fact, and he simply confirmed it. "I think our spars will be more even now, so that should be good for both of us." "It's still early." He glanced down at his watch, and saw it was 7:00. "Where's Minnie?"

"She took the girls to get them settled in," Akira told him. "Daphne will be fine with Susan and Hannah, but will it be tough to get Astoria into the lion's den?"

"Yeah, I'll need to talk to a few people," Harry said. "I know a second year who can help. Also, if the twins do me a solid and give her a vote of confidence, it will go a long way towards getting people to trust her."

"And you don't think you should hurry to do that? It's not like you didn't get some serious action yesterday."

"Come on," Harry replied with a laugh. "If you don't risk your life, you've wasted a day.

"You are more like Nambung every day," Akira observed.

"Well, I did spend close to two months with him as the only person I saw," Harry explained. "It's not surprising his mannerisms rubbed off on me."

"You are stronger than me, aren't you?" Akira asked quietly.

"Without his lightning? Probably not," Harry said. "I'm still working out the kinks of my specialty magic."

"You figured it out in two months?"

"Kind of," Harry said. "Like I said, I'm still working on it. But once I fix it up, then yeah, I'll be stronger than you."

"Hopefully you will still need some support," Akira said, though his voice was unnaturally quiet.

"Hey." Harry reached down and grabbed Akira, forcing him to look into his eyes. "You are my brother by blood. You gave me a home when I had none. You are my family, my own flesh and blood. I will ALWAYS need you." They hugged and Akira felt wetness on his shirt from a few tears. "Never say that again."

"Yeah," Akira said, a tear leaking from his eye too. "Sorry, I don't know what got into me."

"Don't be such a girl," Harry said, punching Akira lightly in the shoulder. That statement sent them both into gales of laughter. Both of them knew quite a few girls with significantly more emotional, physical, magical, and mental strength that far outstripped them. It was such a cliché and so remarkably wrong that both of them laughed for a few minutes. Any time the laughter threatened to stop, one of the brothers would look at the other and it would send the other into hysterics yet again.

"Go take care of your house," Akira said. "Besides, it's Monday. I expect you in class later. You should go to all your classes this week, even potions and history. It will help restore some normalcy."

"Yeah," Harry replied forlornly. "That's what I need at the moment, to waste some time. But you are right." He sat across from Akira. "Before I go, two things, ok?" Akira nodded. "First, you, Minnie and I need to talk soon. A few things on the agenda, but you both need to be looped in on certain things." Akira nodded again. "Second, you have seen all my friends last few weeks. Who do I need to deal with today?"

"Who do you think?" Akira answered with a smile.

"Fleur and Hermione?" Harry groaned when Akira's smile got wider. "I hate you. It's not like it was my fault I was gone for so long."

"Might I suggest a different approach?" Akira said. "Start with a humble apology."

"I know," Harry said as he exited the apartment, Akira chuckling behind him. "It wasn't my fault anyways," he muttered to himself. "Hopefully I get some peace and quiet at breakfast." Harry ended up at the great hall and smiled a bit at the one boy at the Gryffindor table. "Keeping up your morning exercises?" Harry asked as he sat next to Neville.

"I've tried," Neville said. "Akira said if I keep it up, I might be able to be a formal student soon."

"That's good to hear." They ate in silence for a few minutes. "So how are classes?" Neville fixed him with a hard glare. "What?"

"Is that really what you want to talk about?"

No, but it seems like a safe subject for the moment," Harry explained.

"I'm not mad, not compared to the others," Neville told him. "But would it have killed you to send an owl?"

"No," Harry stated. "But I was really busy, and…" he trailed off under Neville's disbelieving glance. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," Neville said. "But you know quite a few other people won't be as forgiving."

"Who do you think is the maddest?"

"Probably Hermione, and she isn't coming to breakfast."

"Why not?" Harry asked, immediately concerned.

"Cedric broke up with her last night," Neville said, his voice unnaturally calm. "Lavender spent the whole night comforting her. They might even skive off potions and DADA today." Harry swore viciously. "Language."

"Was it my fault?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Not directly," Neville told him. "She was going out of her mind with worry, and it strained the relationship. If you want my two sickles, I'd say that realizing how hard her life was without your steadying presence made her realize you are more than a friend, that she needs you to be more than a best friend."

"I don't want your two sickles if that is what they are!" Harry looked absolutely panicked.

"If you only want my advice when I agree with you, then you should look for a new best mate," Neville said calmly. That stunned Harry. He never would have heard that coming out of Neville's mouth before Christmas.

"You are right," Harry admitted. "Sorry again." Neville shrugged. "Seriously."

"You apologized for not dropping us an owl," Neville said. "I'll take it as a blanket apology for the next few days."

"Things have really changed while I was gone," Harry remarked.

"It's a school, filled with hormonal and crazy teenagers," Neville commented. "Things change overnight. It's bound to happen in two months."

"You seem even keeled about all this."

"Eh, after talking to Hannah about how my grandmother is determined to break us up, dealing with your drama is easy."

"I'm sorry what?" Harry asked, stunned for the second time in as many minutes.

"Don't worry about, it's some pureblood nonsense." Neville glanced at Harry. "How would you feel about taking your Wizengamot seat at the moment?"

"What?"

"It would help," Neville observed. "You would miss school a lot, but you already don't have to take classes. You could assign a proxy, and only show up for big debates. You might even be able to get Sirius freed."

"Oh god, Sirius!" Harry realized. "He and Remus don't know I'm alright!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it," Neville told him. "I saw Susan sending an owl last night, and I believe that the current Head of the DMLE is currently observing her sabbatical with Sirius."

"Madam Bones is on Sabbatical?"

"Well, the way I understand it is that Fudge threatened to fire her if she did not demand Sirius from the Japanese embassy. He's not there, is he?" Harry shook his head. "Good. Even I know enough to see that would be stupid. Where is he?"

"France.' Harry admitted. Neville nodded in understanding. "So, Madam Bones?"

"Right," Neville said, picking up the tale. "So Bones said no way, and Fudge would have fired her, but the aurors backed her up, and if he tried to fire her he would have needed more support in the Wizengamot. My Gran actually created a coalition of families to support her if Fudge went through with the firing, got quite a few neutral families on board. Fudge thought she might run against him for Minister, so he backed down, but she was so disgusted with him she took a sabbatical."

"So who is in charge?"

"Ex-Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour," Neville said. "You faced him down with Sirius. He doesn't like you."

"Any idiot can go through life without making enemies," Harry told Neville.

"You just have an unnatural knack for it," Neville commented.

"Fine," Harry said, realizing it was true. "Listen, I have to go talk to Hermione. Can you do me a solid?"

"Depends," Neville said as Hannah sat down next to him. "Hey love." He leaned over and gave his girlfriend a gentle kiss. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Hannah sand back. "Hello Harry. Good morning."

"Yeah, sure," Harry said distractedly. Neville just clicked his teeth. "I'm sorry Hannah, I'm just a little distracted. It's nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too," Hannah said, seemingly unbothered by his lack of focus. "I guess you heard about Hermione? Understandable that you'd be distracted."

"Nev, you know Daphne?"

"Your ill-fated love interest?" Harry just rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course I know Daphne. We met with her every week."

"What about her sister?"

"Astoria?" Neville closed his eyes in thoughts. "Not well. Second year in Slytherin, right?"

"Not anymore." That got the couple's attention. "Daphne's in Hufflepuff now, and Astoria is a second year in Gryffindor."

"Really?" Hannah said, eyes lighting up.

"Really," Harry said, with a tone indicating he wanted no more questions. "When Astoria comes down to breakfast, she'll probably be sitting alone. Go over and keep her company."

"And you'll explain later?" Neville asked.

"No," Harry replied. "But you will go sit with her anyways."

"Why is that?" Neville shot back.

"Because you are a good person," Hannah told him before Harry could speak. The bespectacled wizard just smiled at her. "Go to Hermione. We will look after Astoria." Harry nodded and bolted out of the hall. "

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

You know we can get more out of her than Harry." Hannah said as Harry vanished. Neville looked up in surprise. "What? I'm curious too. I smell something interesting going on, and if Harry is here then Astoria will clam up. You're telling me two Slytherin's switch out of their house and you aren't curious. Especially one who had a life debt from your best mate?"

"You think Daphne used that life debt so quickly, to get her and her sister out of Slytherin?" Hannah nodded at Astoria who had timidly entered the hall. "Hannah, this is surprisingly devious of you. Let's go check it out."

"I know," Hannah said as they watched Astoria sit alone at the end of the table. "No one ever suspects us Hufflepuffs." Neville got up with Hannah at his side and they walked to the end of the table, sitting across from Astoria.

"Hello," Neville said, pouring himself a glass of water. "I'm Neville Longbottom, and this is my girlfriend, Hannah Abbott. She's a Hufflepuff, but we tend to let anyone sit at our table. I'm sure you've seen your sister over here a few times. I am curious though, as to why a 2nd year Slytherin is sitting alone at our table."

"I'm not a Slytherin anymore," Astoria said in a tiny voice. "I'm in Gryffindor now."

"Are you?" Neville asked with a raised eyebrow. "But there is still a snake on your robes."

"I'll get them changed," Astoria said, her voice still quiet.

"Well, why not get them changed now, for the time being," Neville told her. "Would you like that?" Astoria nodded. "Love, if you don't mind?" Hannah whipped her wand out of her holster with a simple touch.

"Of course not. Multicorfors!" With a wave of her wand, the trim of Astoria's robe changed from green to red. Hannah cast the spell a second time and with a second flourish, the green snake badge changed to a red lion. "There, all better. But it will only last until the end of the day. You may want to have some of the girls in your house help you make the changed permanent. Unfortunately, that will mean sewing."

"It's ok, I know how to sew!" Astoria's face lit up with glee as she looked down at her new robe. She raced around the table and hugged Hannah. "Thank you so much. I have to go show my sister!" Astoria raced off towards the Hufflepuff table.

"Interesting," Neville remarked, taking a sip of water.

"You on to the scent of something, Detective Longbottom?"

"Just conjecture at the moment," Neville said. "But Daphne earning a life debt the moment Harry comes back to school? Harry, probably the student best positioned to get Daphne and her sister out of Slytherin? Astoria, a second year, genuinely thrilled to be out of Slytherin and into Gryffindor? It's all a little suspicious."

"You don't think Daphne had anything to do with the attackers, do you?" Hannah asked as they watched Astoria talking animatedly with her older sister.

"No, she still cares about Harry, maybe even loves him," Neville said. "I'll tell you this much. It's going to be a rough week to be Harry's best mate. It seems like half the school is in love with him. Fleur, Susan, Hermione, Daphne, and god knows who else."

"Oh, to be loved and admired by so many excellent women," Hannah said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"You know that you are all I need, love," Neville said, bending over and kissing Hannah. She smiled at her boyfriend. "But this week is going to be an all-mighty mess. Do me a favor, and keep an eye on Daphne if she switches into Hufflepuff classes."

"What do I get in return?" Hannah asked coyly.

"I'd offer you a date, but we go on dates whenever we get the chance," Neville said as Astoria was racing back to the table. "But for now, how about in return we make sure Harry goes more than a few days without someone trying to kill him."

"Sounds good." With a final kiss, Hannah drifted away towards Daphne and Susan, who were sitting at the Hufflepuff table.

"Oh, is your girlfriend going?" Astoria said as she sat across from Neville. "I wanted to thank her again for changing my robes!"

"I'll tell her," Neville said. "But for now, I want to hear all about how you managed to get out of the nasty Slytherin house." Astoria's face lit up. "From what I heard, it sounds like you belong in Gryffindor!"


	46. Chapter 46

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

Chapter 46: Aftermath 2.0

February, 1995

Harry raced into the common room so fast that he almost ripped through the painting. He slowed as he reached the girls stairs. In his haste, he had not come up with a way to actually get to Hermione. He paused for a moment and then his eyes set upon Colin Creevey.

"Hey Colin!" Harry said. The boy jumped to attention his eyes shining. "Can you help me with something real quick?" The pieces of an idea were starting to come together in his mind, but he wanted to test it first.

"Absolutely!" Colin was almost bouncing with anticipation.

"Alright just come to the bottom of the girl's stairs." Colin did as he asked without a moment's hesitation.

"Hey Harry?" Harry heard Dean behind him.

"Hey Dean," Harry said, drawing his wand.

"What you doing?"

"Doing an experiment," Harry said. With a swish and flick and a "Wingardium Leviosa" Dennis floated over the girl's stairs. He smiled as the stairs did not instantly turn into a slide. "Winner Winner," Harry said, floating Dennis back over the floor and setting him down.

"Well, that's interesting," Dean observed. "Mind explaining how you are going to do that when you can't see what you are floating?"

"I don't care about floating," Harry said as he tightened the laces on his trainers. "I just needed to see if the stairs triggered if a boy was above them." He took a few steps back and then raced forward, jumping right at the base of the stairs. His momentum carried him into the wall, and with a kick, Harry jumped to the opposite wall, and he bounced again, vanishing out of view up the stairs.

"Well," Dean said, turning to head to breakfast, "That was interesting."

It took Harry a few more jumps to land on the landing outside the fourth door. He tensed as he landed, waiting for the landing to collapse, but nothing happened. It must be just the stairs, Harry figured as he knocked on the door. There was no response, and he knocked on the door again. He heard footsteps and the door swung open.

"Harry?" Lavender almost shouted in surprise. "How did you even get up here?"

"Long story," Harry managed to get out, his breath mildly labored from the effort without the benefit of his magic aiding his strength.

"I don't even know why I get surprised with you anymore," Lavender said. "And before you ask, I'm not letting you in to talk to Hermione."

"Lavender, I'm going to talk to my best friend," Harry stated. "I can get past you in a variety of ways, but I'd prefer to come in with you consent." Lavender just straightened. "Have it your way," Harry juked left and as Lavender tried to move Harry easily sidestepped her and walked into the girl's dorm room uncontested. "Hermione!" Harry called out, and he heard something start on one of the beds. He walked over to the bed and tore the curtains away.

"Harry stop!" Lavender said.

"Hermione?" Harry said, his voice quiet as he knelt down by the bed. Hermione curled up, but Harry had seen the red splotched under her eyes. Her hair was frizzy and untamed, and she had been crying. "Hey, are you ok?"

"Go away Harry," Hermione said quietly.

"You know I can't do that," Harry said, sitting on the bed next to her. He flashed a smile at Lavender, who almost growled at him but left nonetheless. "It's been a while since we talked. How have you been doing?"

"Ok," Hermione got out in between deep breaths. "Oh Harry!" She flung himself into his arms and started to sob.

"Hey it's ok," Harry said, putting his arms around Hermione gently. As Hermione cried, Harry came to a startling realization that so many men before had come to. He had absolutely no idea what to do with a sobbing girl. Hermione was his best friend, and he knew more about her than anyone in the world, but he did not have a clue as to how to make her feel better. "It's ok."

"Well, I'm sure you heard Cedric and I broke up." Hermione and Harry were sitting on the bed next to each other, Hermione was all cried out for the time being, having sobbed for a straight 10 minutes.

"Why do you think I rushed up here?" Harry said with a small smile.

"Yeah, how did you get up here?" Hermione said her eyes lighting up. "Victor was saying something about how you can apparently track magical energy now. Did that-"

"Hermione, as much as I would love to get into magical theory with you, and while I promise I will have some stuff to teach you over the rest of the year, I do want to know what happened. If you really don't want to talk about it with me that's fine, but you need to talk about it with someone."

"Did you talk about Daphne with someone?" Hermione accused.

"Not until recently," Harry admitted. "I talked about it a lot over the last month, and it helped. I think even though we went out for less than a month, it helped me move past it. I'll still have those feelings for her, for the time being, and talking helped me rationalize that. I'm in a place where I can be friends with her without forcing it."

"Really?" Hermione frowned at him. "Prove it."

"By what? Opening up about how I felt?" Hermione nodded emphatically. "Sure. What do you want to know?"

"Why was it so hard to deal with? Like you said, it was less than a month."

"Well, it was hard because it was the first person I had ever opened to like that," Harry acknowledged. "Sure, I didn't tell her anything that other people didn't know, but she was the only person who could help me with that with physical contact. Also, you know I have a bit of a physical contact phobia. Daphne helped me get better with that. Flinching back from a friend is bad. Flinching back from a girlfriend is a million times worse."

"I never thought about that," Hermione conceded. "And it helps to say it out loud?"

"Yeah," Harry admitted. "So, do you feel like sharing something?"

"Only if you promise not to freak out and leave," Hermione said after a long silence.

"Hermione, I will never leave you when you need me."

"Ok." Hermione took a deep breath in, readying herself for the bomb she was about to drop. "Harry, I have had a crush on you since, well, since third year. When you decided to go out with Daphne despite knowing her for two months, it really hurt me."

"Wha-"

"Just let me get through this," Hermione interrupted. "This is hard enough without interruption. When Cedric showed interest, I thought that I could get over you with him. I knew that you would never feel the same way about me. For a time, it was fine being your best friend and trying to see what Cedric and I could be. Then there was the ball and I felt something really for him. But then you disappeared."

"I was going out of my mind with worry. For all I knew, you were dead and I would never know. I replayed every second of that fight in the hallway, looking for something I could have done. I came up with scenarios to sneak out of school to try and find you. All I knew was that you might not be ok, that I had no idea what was going on with you. All the feelings I have kept down came back with a passion. And Cedric said he couldn't be with me while I was still crazy about you, and he was right, even if it hurt to hear it."

"Harry, I'm not asking you to feel a different way for me. I know that you didn't then, and you probably don't now. I know that you still have feelings for Daphne, and that Fleur is crazy about you. You have enough going on in your love life that I didn't need to heap on, but I think I needed to get this off my chest."

"Wow," Harry said, grasping Hermione's hand gently. "Look, I said I'm not going to leave you no matter what, and I won't. But I think I have reached my quota of learning new things for the week." Harry just put his head in his hands. "Let me see if I get this straight. You have a crush on me, then it went away, and now it's back?"

"I think so," Hermione said. "To be honest, I'm not going to come out and say I love you like Fleur. That's far too impulsive. But it's more serious than a crush."

"Thanks for being honest with me," Harry said after a long pause. "You should have told me last year. It would have been easier."

"Yeah, it would have been," Hermione replied, leaning into him. "But I guess my chance is gone now?"

"No, I wouldn't say that," Harry told her. "There has always been something between us, more than friendship. There probably always will be. But when I close my eyes, your face doesn't pop into my head, not like that. It never has."

"Can you tell me who is in your head right now?" Hermione asked.

"You'll see soon enough," Harry said. Hermione glanced at him with a question in her eyes.

"It's never been me," Hermione said quietly, and Harry gave a regretful nod. "And it won't be me in the future."

"I don't think so," Harry admitted. A tear ran down Hermione's face. "Hermione, I'm sorry-"

"You don't have to apologize for your feelings," Hermione interrupted. "Can at we least be friends?"

"We are best friends, Hermione. That will never change, no matter what happens." Hermione gave a forced smile, and Harry realized that this was as good as it was going to get for the time being. "But I need to apologize first. In fact, I owe a few people some serious apologies. I have a good idea of how to do it. Akira told me you started a training group?"

"Yeah, it wasn't too serious," Hermione said. "We started out committed, but I'm no leader. We have only met twice in February."

"Why didn't Victor jump in?"

"Victor didn't come," Hermione admitted. "He likes Cedric enough, and tolerates Fleur, but his only real friend here is you, Luna notwithstanding. He's actually quite similar to you. We had a long chat one day when he was waiting for Luna. So many people want to be around him because of his fame, but you don't care in the slightest even though you both play seeker. It's quite refreshing to him. He told me he really likes being around you, and you are easily stronger than him. Out of all our friends, he probably missed you the most among all the guys."

"Huh." Harry's eyes went unfocused. "He never told me that."

"Guys don't ever talk about that stuff with other guys," Hermione said with a knowing tone. "Don't you know anything?"

"Hey!" Harry chided her with mock indignation in his voice. "I guess that means you don't want to learn any of the skills I picked up while I was gone?" Hermione's eyes started to shine. "Come on, let's get to class. I'll tell you all about it later this week. I'm interested to see what you all have been up to while I was gone."

"Oh my god, I skived off class!" Hermione almost shouted. "It was potions too!"

"Good point," Harry agreed. "Stick around me the rest of the day. When Severus comes up to yell at you, I'll take care of him."

"Harry, you can't pick a fight with a Professor," Hermione reminded him. "You could get expelled."

"Actually, I can't," Harry told her. "But I figured I'd try and destroy him with words first. He's a tough wizard anyways. One doesn't become a marked death eater by being a slouch with a wand." Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh, my bad. That really isn't supposed to be common knowledge."

"Professor Snape is a death eater?" Hermione was in shock, barely moving. It took serious effort for Harry to get her to promise to keep it quiet and drag her to the Defense classroom. Eventually Harry was surrounded by his friends, asking about his newfound lightning powers. Harry avoided most of the questions, citing an unbreakable vow, but did talk a little about how he had powered up recently, and was potentially going to take over Hermione's study group, which got everyone excited.

"Ok," Moody rasped as he stood in front of class. Harry glanced at Akira, who shrugged. Even if Akira had taught almost every class since the beginning of the tournament, Moody was still technically the DADA teacher, and it looked like he wanted to teach today. "Today, we are going to focus on shielding. Of course, you cannot shield from the unforgivable curses, but everything else can be stopped."

"That's not really true," Harry muttered to himself. But there was no point getting into it now.

"Bones!" Moody called out. "Why don't you help me with a demonstration?" Susan nodded and walked to stand in front of the class. "Show me your best shield. Stupefy!"

"Protego!" Susan said in response, and Moody's red jet hit her shield and dissolved. But as her shield dropped, Moody's second jet, cast silently stung her. The second hex had been a stinging hex, and Harry held back a smile. It seemed like the Master Auror wasn't all talk.

"What was her mistake?" Moody asked.

"She dropped her shield," Hermione said confidently.

"That's close," Akira said. "No one can hold a shield forever, not even Dumbledore."

"She should have transitioned," Neville said. Everyone in class looked at him. "I mean, she was passive."

"Expand on that," Moody said eagerly, his eye boring into Neville.

"Well, when you are fighting, you are either defending or attacking. Whether you are shielding, dodging, or countering, that is defense. If you aren't prepared to do any of that, the best defense is a good attack. The moment she dropped her shield, she had to transition to attacking to stop you from hexing her."

"Excellent!" Moody exclaimed. "Take 10 points for Gryffindor, Mr. Longbottom." Neville nodded confidently. Harry wasn't overly surprised. The concept might be foreign to most wizards, but apparently Neville had kept up his training with his brother. Never being passive was key to the Hayashi school. Granted, while Harry had confidence in his ability to perform the necessary techniques from the Hayashi school when practicing with Akira, his mindset was different now. His new skill set meant that sometimes doing nothing was the best move.

"Let's all pair up!" Akira said. "Someone different then you usually do. Work with someone who doesn't know your attack patterns, or how you like to shield."

"Potter," Moody snapped. "Fancy a bout with me?" Harry just shrugged. It was probably true that nobody in the class could match his magical strength, even if he just crouched behind a shield. Remus had told him at the beginning of the year that Moody could easily defeat him, and that Harry should be cautious of him. But the Harry of February was a different person than the Harry of September. This seemed like an excellent way to test how he had improved.

As Harry moved to stand across from the teacher, he resolved to make sure he just used magic. Nambung had stressed that while for most fights, it would make sense to pull his strength into his magic or to do the reverse to increase his speed, sometimes that could be dangerous. Besides, Harry had not fought magic to magic with no augmented power for two months. It wasn't how he trained, and this would be revealing.

"Ready?' Moody asked but fired two shots at Harry without waiting for a response. The auror was fast and his stunners had power. Harry couldn't get his shield up in time, but even without his magic augmenting his physical abilities, Harry was unnaturally fast. One of the shots was at his head, and Harry just snapped his head back, and swayed back the other direction to avoid the body shot. Moody grinned and fired another pattern at Harry, but this time the young wizard was ready, and he shielded all three shots.

Harry was forced on the defensive as Moody fired spell after spell, only to see them land on Harry's shield. Once Moody was able to crack the shield, but Harry simply ended the shield and cast again. Despite the barrage, Harry couldn't find an opening to fire back without being reckless. Both wizards were casting silently from instinct now. Harry realized he would have been done in already if he had to speak the incantations, and his estimation of the grizzled old man rose.

A yellow jet snapped out of Moody's wand and as Harry prepared to take it on his shield he saw the bolt accelerate. Harry had no idea what the spell was, so he dropped his shield and managed to roll out of the way. He heard Akira hiss and he glanced back for a moment and saw the wall melting. Harry didn't know the spell, but apparently Moody had gotten caught up in battle fever. It was time to take the fight to him.

As Harry came out of his roll he chained a few stunners and disarming spells together with a speed of casting that made Moody shield. But as he finished his last disarming spell, Harry allowed his arm to become loose and he swung in all the way around his body. Two stunners raced out of his wand, curving around Moody's shield. One of them was blocked as Moody expanded his shield to cover his entire body, but the second hit the shield and shattered it.

The auror looked shocked and managed to dodge the third stunner but Harry was done playing, and a cutting hex sliced through a hastily erected shield. The shield took enough power out of the spell to just causing a minor laceration and Harry frowned, reading to fire some more dangerous hexes after he dodged Moody's next salvo.

As the spells raced out of his opponent's wand, they impacted on a shield halfway in between them. Harry didn't look away as he fired a spell, but his spell was absorbed by the shield as well. Annoyed, he looked around for the person who had stopped his fun and saw Akira was his wand extended. Harry's fighting blood was up and he aimed his wand at Akira for half a second.

"Enough," Akira said quietly, and Harry forced his mind into the darkened lake, taking a deep breath. "You ok Harry?" Harry nodded, taking a few deep breaths. He wasn't drained, but his magic was certainly depleted. He glanced at Moody and saw the auror was drawing deep breaths too, but a tiny tendril of sensory magic saw that the professor still had plenty in the tank.

"Well played Potter," Moody barked.

"That boiling curse was out of line," Akira told the professor. "Cool off a bit." Moody nodded and started walking around the class, offering suggestions and criticisms. Harry turned to watch him still catching his breath and saw that the other students were busy with their own fight, and most had not seen the confrontation between him and the teacher. "Harry, just meditate the rest of class." Harry sat on the floor, finding his center and allowing his magic to replenish, reviewing the fight in his mind. The lake had a few ripples as his mind quieted, but soon enough the lake was silent and motionless.

Harry was free until dinner and spent the time making up with Susan, Hannah and Lavender, hearing from them how the last two months had gone, and giving them a basic summary of his increase in power, without revealing anything about his newfound lightning or ability to seemingly flash in and out of any ward, including the Hogwarts wards.

Harry was looking forward to dinner for a variety of reasons. He slid into the table next to Hermione, smiling at her. He didn't have to wait long as Snape arrived at the Gryffindor table a sneer on his face and his cape billowing behind him. Harry had his wand out under the table and he had to hide his grin as Snape stared down at his best friend.

"Ms. Granger," Snape said, and then Harry hit him with a silent Silencio. Snape tried to speak, but found his voice gone. He angrily grabbed his wand and cast the counter spell as Harry slid his wand back into his holster surreptitiously. "Who dared to silence me!" Snape was irate as he looked around the table. "Diggory," Snape snarled at the Hufflepuff who was sitting a few seats down. "Defending your girlfriend, is it!"

"Ah, it was actually me." Harry turned and saw in surprise Fleur with her wand in her hand. "I was looking forward to a quiet dinner, and I had no interest in listening to you yell."

"You dare?" Snape had his wand in his hand, and Harry realized that a harmless prank was quickly spiraling out of control. With a tiny touch to his holster, Harry rose, stepping in between the potions master and the French witch. "Potter, of course you'd have something to do with this."

"Letting the boy fight your battles for you," Harry heard a Beauxbatons boy he didn't recognize say. "Pathetic," the boy spat at Fleur, and Harry felt her magic spike behind her. Then Harry felt a familiar discharge and without even looking he snapped a shield out, catching the hex right before it hit the blindsided Fleur.

"Malfoy," Harry said, firing a quick disarming spell at Malfoy, who dodged the spell. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I'm just teaching the Veela whore a lesson," Malfoy snapped. "She's as useless as your mudblood friend." Harry cocked his head curiously at Malfoy as if confused. "Delacour and Granger, both scum."

"What did you say?" Everyone at the Gryffindor table stared at Harry's totally blank and impassive face. Neville and Dean rose, grabbing Harry's wand hand, but the boy wretched his arm clear. "Say that again."

"That French whore-" was as far as Draco got. Even Akira at the teacher's table didn't see Harry move. One moment Draco was at the Gryffindor table and the next he was slammed up against the far wall, Harry holding him up the wall, his wand in his face.

"That's it." Everyone stared in horror as light pooled in Harry wand. The impassive looked was gone from his face, and a new emotion covered his face, one that made Draco terrified. He had seen Potter mad before, constantly. Not as much this year, but Potter beyond mad. He was furious, his muscles tense and his eyes wild with fury, and there would be no more insults from the Potter heir. His next spell would not be a stunner. "You were on your last warning, but you never seem to learn."

"Harry, no!" Krum yelled, reaching just in time to knock Harry away from Draco. The spell fired anyway, but the wand was now aimed at the wand next to him. The wall next to door simply crumbled, leaving nothing there as the door collapsed. "What was that?"

"Draco, count your lucky stars," Harry said, regaining his calm. "Victor, that was unnecessary."

"You would have killed him," Victor said, the noise in the hall rising to a fever pitch.

"Happily," Harry countered, "but that spell is a little different."

"It wasn't a vanishing spell," Victor said. "The wall simply disintegrated."

"Correct," Harry said. "Draco would not have died. I was planning on obliviating his existence."

"How dare you?" Snape had his wand pointed at Harry. "I'll have you expelled for this!"

"No, you won't." Harry was totally calm now. He would have been fine destroying Draco, but this was just as good. "I am well within my rights to respond to that attack by the Malfoy scion. In fact, we are just getting started."

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore said, forcing Snape to lower his wand. "Please consider-"

"Draco Malfoy," Harry said, cutting Dumbledore off and pitching his voice to extend to the entire hall. "Your behavior is beyond the pale, and I will not tolerate it anymore. I call your bloodline to account. You will face me in a blood duel or will be revealed as a coward."

"Draco-" Dumbledore tried to intervene, but Malfoy just sneered back.

"A blood duel? I accept. As the challenged I name the terms."

"What the hell is happening?" Hermione asked, her voice quiet as the hall was silent, every eye on Malfoy.

"Harry just challenged Draco to a duel with their family honor on the line. Draco gets to name the terms, and then Harry gets to name the wager. An arbiter will decide if the wager is fair," Hannah whispered back. "This is insane. There has not been a blood duel in years. Draco can name any terms."

"All spells allowed," Draco said. "No body to body contact. Let's see how good you are without your martial arts. Fight until the other party cannot fight anymore. One week. Quidditch stadium, no crowds. Only family or invitation allowed."

"Fine," Harry said. "As a blood duel, you may choose a champion from your bloodline. Go ahead, I'd love to break your father in two."

"Anyone of my blood? Fine. Name your terms."

"If I win, you will swear a magical oath that will take your life and magic if you use the word mudblood, blood traitor, and others," Harry said. "We will write it down, and you will sign it with a blood quill."

"Harry, be reasonable," Dumbledore implored.

"That is ridiculous," Snape said. "There is nothing equal to Draco's magic."

"In return," Harry continued, "if I lose, the Malfoy's will gain the Potter, through the Peverell family, Wizengamot seat." The hall went wild at the declaration, both that Harry Potter had a seat on the Wizengamot and that was willing to wager it. "How's that for equal? Go call your father, since it is all you are good for. He'll accept. Wash your neck and wait, Malfoy. If you want to fight yourself, no need to sign the contract. You won't walk out of that stadium alive."

"Fine," Draco replied. "One week, Potter. Then I'll take that seat over your dead body." Draco turned and left the hall, his cronies right behind him.

"Well, that went well," Harry said, sliding into his seat again."

"You planned that?" Dean asked.

"Not exactly," Harry said. "I was hoping he would name Snape as his champion right now. He is his godfather, after all. I'm curious who he will choose, a blood relation."

"His father is a dangerous man," Cedric said. "Harry, have you thought this through? Especially if you can't use your fighting techniques."

"It will be fine," Harry stated with a dismissive shake of his head. "For now, dinner is calling." He grabbed some food and put in on his place. "I'm going to eat. Let's leave everything alone for now." The talk of the hall for the rest of dinner settled on the consequences of the fight. Regardless of the conditions, everyone expected only one contestant to leave the stadium alive, with no spell restrictions. Harry heard the twins whispering about setting up bets, before their girlfriends smacked them over the head.

"Harry, you idiot," Daphne said. "Malfoy's dad won't hesitate to cast the unforgivables."

"I sure hope so," Harry said. "Oh, by the way, Susan, Hannah?" The two girls looked at him. "Why don't you take Daphne to get situated in your dorm?" Everyone looked at him curious. "She and her sister got resorted. Speaking of which," Harry rose, leaving all his friends stunned behind him. He walked over to a familiar face, knelling down next to her. "Hey Natalie."

"Harry," Natalie breathed out in surprise. "You remember me?"

"Of course I do," Harry said. "Can you come with me?" Harry took the young girl to the corner of the table, where Astoria was sitting with her eyes wide open, somewhat isolated. "This is Astoria Greengrass. She's in your year, and she is a Gryffindor now. I think you guys could be good friends. Can you do that?" Natalie and Astoria both nodded emphatically. "Good." With that handled, Harry left the hall.

"Wow!" Susan exclaimed. "What just happened?"

"Hurricane Potter," Dean replied. "It's about time someone put Draco in his place."

"Dean, someone could die," Lavender said. "That doesn't worry you?"

"Sure it does," Dean told her, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. "But what's the advantage of fear or the benefit of regret even if death is coming for you? My mom always says that life is only precious if you make it worth something. Harry is standing up for us all, making his life worth something. Do you truly enjoy life, allowing everything to pass you by, or do you take a stand?"

"I don't know," Lavender answered, every eye on the couple.

"Well, I can't tell you the answer to that." Dean set his napkin on the table. "But if this is where Harry wants to take a stand, I'll take it with him."

"We all will," Krum said, rising. "He's right. The bigotry needs to stop somewhere. It is our moral imperative."

"At the cost of someone's life?" Cedric argued. That shut everyone up.

"Yes," a voice sounded out. Everyone stared at Luna. "To Harry, to Draco, to Malfoy Sr., the war isn't over. It was just a ceasefire. The dark mark still exists, and Voldemort will return one day." Almost everyone shuddered the name.

"Luna," Krum said quietly.

"I know I sound crazy," Luna told him. "I may be."

"You aren't," Daphne said. "Harry believes it too." Now every eye was on the newly christened Hufflepuff. "That's why he helped me and my sister get resorted. "It isn't safe in Slytherin for people who will stand against a family like the Malfoys."

"This is all so crazy!" Hannah exploded. "I feel like I'm going to wake up from a dream, and it's going to be the beginning of fourth year."

"Uh, this may be off topic, but the judges never did assign scored for the second task, did they?" Cedric asked. That realization had everyone at the table in laughter. "Crazy is definitely the right word, Hannah."

"I think I need some sleep," Daphne admitted. "Maybe tomorrow, everything won't look insane. What did you call it, Thomas? Hurricane Potter?"

"When he gets going, he unfortunately brings chaos," Dean said. "But at the moment, I'm worried about my transfiguration essay on Wednesday. Just because the world turned upside down with his return, doesn't mean that everything else changes. Our lives still go on." With that wisdom the group broke up, some heading the library, others like the 4th year Hufflepuffs going back to their dorm to help their new housemate settle in.

Halfway through dinner Fleur had disappeared going down to the lake. She cast a few notice-me -not charms, but she wasn't surprise that they did not turn him away. He sat next to her in silence for around 20 minutes. No one else bothered them as they looked over the lake. Fleur waited for him to say something, but apparently, he was more than content to let her start the conversation.

"So, you couldn't even say hi, let us know you were fine for almost two months?" Fleur asked the love of her life, her voice tinged with irritation.

"I really couldn't," Harry said. "I'm guessing I'm sorry doesn't cover it."

"Of course, it doesn't" Fleur fired back. "Don't get me wrong, I was serious when I said I love you, and nothing has changed in that regard. But I'm angry."

"You have every right to be," Harry agreed. "I'd be surprised if you weren't." They sat in silence for another minute. "I was supposed to go back to class, have a normal week. Guess I messed that up."

"You think?" Fleur's tone was acidic. "Fighting for your life in a week? I don't need you defend my honor."

"That wasn't about you not being able to defend yourself," Harry explained. "It was about me taking a stand."

"Nevertheless," Fleur said "Thank you." She leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek, and held back a satisfied smirk as a slow blush crept up Harry's neck. I assume you have a plan."

"Fight and win," Harry assured her. Fleur glared at him. "Depends on who his champion is."

"Since it's a blood feud, you could choose someone too." Fleur eyebrow rose. "Sirius could take your place. He is your godfather, right?"

"That's an idea," Harry admitted. "A good idea. In a blood duel against another noble house, supposedly a higher power is involved. The consequences of that is that anyone convicted of a crime, if their blood is noble, is absolved of all crimes. Sirius would be free to return, but I can't ask him to fight for me. This is my fight. Besides, by the time a letter reached him it would be too late for him to prepare properly."

"Not entirely true," Fleur said. "I talked to Daphne this afternoon. She told me that you flashed her to her parent's house last night using her memories."

"True," Harry conceded. "I'm a little confused what that has to do with Sirius.

"He is still at the house of my parents," Fleur explained, and Harry raised an eyebrow. "You could flash us there right now."

"I guess it would be weird if I showed up to classes," Harry acknowledged. "But for a long distance flash like that, to somewhere I have never been, I'll need multiple memories. I used Daphne and Astoria's. Strong ones too. Your family already went home?" Fleur nodded. "Well, that's a problem."

"Not entirely," Fleur said. "Someone else has strong memories, and has been there a few times. I would never have thought of it until you said it. We should have someone owl us the scores though." Harry was confused at that. "You know, from the second task."

"I totally forgot," Harry revealed. "Funny how perspective changes. But no need. Once I get the location from the flash, it's not that hard to go back and forth. I do need to spend some time here. Just because I've got stronger doesn't mean I can stop learning."

"Even with your life on the line?" Fleur said. Harry nodded. "You are quite the puzzle, Harry Potter. So should we get going?"

"Look, I appreciate the idea, but I'm still not going to let Sirius fight in my place," Harry told her. "Besides, he has been on the run for a year, preceded by 12 years in a living hell. He's in no condition to fight."

"He doesn't deserve to know?"

"We honestly aren't that close," Harry told her. "We haven't spent too much time together. I will always appreciate that he offered to have me come live with him, and I'd like to get to know him better. I'm sure that I'll visit him a few times this year."

"Remus is there as well." Harry's eyes widened at that. "At the very least, he would be a good sparing partner while you prepare."

"And you don't have ulterior motives for going to France with me?"

"I admit, the idea of having you to myself for a week when you are not training is appealing," Fleur said. "But you wouldn't still be listening if what I was saying was totally crazy."

"No, I wouldn't," Harry agreed. He leaned back on the rock, allowing Fleur to slide her hand over his. "They deserve to know. Remus and Sirius. But I won't let him fight on my behalf, even to gain his freedom. There are safer, better ways." He looked at her, meeting her eyes. "So, who is the other person with strong memories?"

It was a brief conversation, and Susan agreed almost instantly. Harry wrote a quick note and left it on the Gryffindor common room table. Susan cautioned against it, so Harry also dropped by his grandmother's room to explain things and after yelling at him for five minutes for being insanely reckless, she agreed he should leave to go train as long as he came back to school at least a few times before the duel, and that they would perhaps convene a war council over the weekend.

"Get a clear picture in your minds," Harry said as he grabbed both girls. "Alright. Let's go." Then a blue crackle of lightning formed around them, and as the lightning vanished, so did the three young wizards.


	47. Chapter 47

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: Just to keep track of the timeline, I had the second task happen on a Sunday, as did the resorting of the Greengrass sisters, later that night. Draco and Harry agreed on the blood duel on a Monday, and the lesson in this chapter is happening on the Sunday following the second task, preceding the duel by a day.**

Chapter 47: 4th Year Teacher

March, 1995

"You don't think this has gotten out of hand?" Harry remarked as he looked out at the group. When he had agreed to do this with Hermione, he had expected some friends to show up, no more than 15 people and probably less. Looking out at the veritable sea of people to show up, he felt slightly cheated and more than a little overwhelmed.

"I am sorry about that," Hermione told him, her eyes betraying her contrite nature, and Harry immediately felt guilty for chiding her. "I guess it did get out of hand. To be honest, I have no idea how this spread to begin with."

"I do have this pressing engagement on Monday," Harry reminded her. "So while I was happy to help out and see what you have done, I am fairly busy."

"I know," Hermione replied. "I'm sorry, I really am."

"Forgiven and forgotten," Harry told her, although he felt fatigue holding down his limbs.

"Speaking of that engagement," Hermione started, her voice tinged with worry, "how has your special morning training been going? Neville says you are gone most mornings even before he wakes up at 6:30, and you always arrive back at the end of breakfast looking absolutely exhausted. Are you running a marathon or something like that?"

"Not exactly," Harry said with a half-grin.

"So where have you been going?"

"France, believe it or not," Harry explained quietly, making sure he wasn't overheard. He saw Hermione draw herself up to exclaim at him, so he grabbed her hand quickly. "Please, let's avoid yelling." Harry saw Hermione stop herself, though her eyes still flashed with curiosity and frustration in tandem. "I assume you will want an explanation eventually."

"I would," Hermione answered.

"But we should get started," Harry said as he looked over the crowd, which was starting to get restless. Harry cast a sonorous spell on himself and coughed. "Alright everyone, thank you for coming. I'm Harry, and I'll be your guest instructor for the day." No one laughed at that and Harry sighed. This could be a long afternoon. "I'd like to thank Hermione for helping to set this up."

"Get to the point Potter!" A voice from the crowd called out. "Why are you qualified to teach us? You haven't even taken your owls" Harry's eyes snapped to the noise and his eyebrows rose in surprise as he identified the speaker.

"Well, if it isn't Cassius Warrington. Why don't you come up here and I can demonstrate the lesson for the day?" Warrington strutted up to the platform. Harry didn't know the 7th year Slytherin, but he knew that before the tournament Warrington had been the most likely Slytherin Champion, alongside Adrian Pucey. "You get one chance to back down," Harry said quietly. Warrington's featured hardened and he drew his wand.

"Come and get it!" Harry sighed and snapped his fingers. A long wooden staff appeared in his hands. "A staff?"

"I'd use my hands, but I don't want to hurt you too bad," Harry said, his face devoid of humor. He cast Sonorus again. "One thing I have noticed from observing magical folk is that you always charge forward effectively. In practice, this is tactically sound and you should never back down once a fight starts. Moving back is a tough strategy to implement correctly. But there is one thing that people do not understand as they are supremely confident in their magic. I will endeavor to show you that common mistake." Harry beckoned to his opponent. "Come on now."

Warrington happily accepted the invitation and threw a few silent curses at Harry. A week ago he would not have known the spells, but once again, Harry was simply not the same person he was in the past.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

February, 1995

"So you picked a fight with Malfoy and everyone he is related too," Remus commented.

"That is some of the best nuttshelling I have ever heard," Harry replied

"Why have you decided to show up in France in the middle of the night?" Remus asked, his voice surprisingly mild.

"I was too cocky," Harry admitted. "Someone brought up the fact that if Malfoy Sr. rises to the challenge, he might use the unforgivables. Those I can deal with."

"Really?" Fleur said with a sniff of disdain.

"Yeah. You have to verbally cast an unforgivable. Even if I can't punch Malfoy in that time due to the ban on physical contact, it's easy to dodge. They are also straight-line bolts." Fleur looked at Harry curiously. "It's easy to dodge a spell that can only hit you if you are in line with a wand and only has one point of contact."

"I don't understand," Fleur said. "It's just like every other spell."

"Remus?" Harry assisted his former defense teacher to his feet. They both drew their wands. "Let's be verbal just for clarity's sake."

"Stupefy!" Harry swayed left and the red bolt raced past him. "Stupefy!" Fleur watched in amazement as a long red beam flew out of Remus's wand and Harry jumped back to avoid it. Remus moved his wand and the red beam continued to pursue Harry for a few more seconds before Remus ended the spell.

"I've never seen that before, and I have watched top French Aurors fight," Fleur said in surprise. "What is that?"

"It's an Arabian technique," Harry explained. "Sustained casting. I bet some of the aurors know it, but don't use it that much. I don't know if Malfoy Sr. knows it. Even if he does, there is a reason that even top Aurors don't use it often." Harry pointed to Remus, who was bent over with his hands on his knees, panting heavily. "If it doesn't finish a fight, it can drain even the most powerful wizard."

"So the unforgivables are more like the first stupefy," Susan observed.

"Exactly," Harry exclaimed. "Not too hard to deal with. Even sustained casting isn't too hard to dodge, but I wanted to make the distinction between a straight line beam and straight line bolt. But the main reason I'm not worried about an unforgivable is that I know all the incantations. I've seen them all used."

"What?" Remus looked appalled. "When did you have to face these?"

"First of all, every Hogwarts student over third year saw Moody use them in class," Harry said. "Second of all, do you think I just sat around training all of February?" Remus shrugged. "The best way to learn in not in a classroom or dojo. It is on the battlefield."

"That's crazy," Remus shot back.

"Whether or not it is crazy is immaterial," Harry concluded. "I've seen them in battle and I'm not worried about them." Remus did not want to let it go, but Harry continued and he was forced to let it go. "They are slow bolts too. Unforgivables warp your soul every time you cast them, which is why they are in a class of their own. But a cruciatus curse will do less damage than an organ dissolving curse. And I don't know too many dark curses."

"And you think I do?" Remus asked. Harry cocked an eyebrow. "I guess I know more spells than you."

"I'd certainly hope so," Harry said with a smile. "Between you and Sirius, I hope you guys can fire just about every dark curse at me and teach me the counter-curses so I'm ready in a week to counter if I can't dodge, or if some of the curses are too fast to safely dodge. I'll go drag that dog out of bed. Third Floor right?" Harry got a quick nod from Remus before bolting towards the Delacour mansion.

"Sirius isn't alone," Susan commented as Harry vanished into the distance.

"I know," Remus said with a small smile. "Maybe that will teach him to stop running off. Besides, Sirius told me that he gave Harry the talk when he first visited."

"The Talk?" Fleur asked.

"When a mommy and daddy love each other very much," Remus started, and both girls started blushing. "It can't be that bad. I assume that Harry guessed third floor because he can feel the familiar magical power from Sirius. He'll feel the second person there too."

"Remus, am I emitting any magical power now?" Susan asked. "I know you might not have the sensory magic Harry does, but just try and sense it." Remus closed his eyes, but there was only his own magic and the tendrils coming from Fleur.

"How?" Remus asked.

"Bones family secret," Susan said, "but keep in mind my aunt can do it too. She does it unconsciously and she is much better than me. And I'd assume she is with Sirius." Remus's eyes widened and the werewolf couldn't hide a small sinister grin. "Oh boy."

"Sirius, get your rear in gear!" Harry yelled, shoving the door open. He strode into the room confidently and then was brought to a screeching halt. Sirius was lying in bed with no shirt, and next to the bed was a scantily clad Amelia Bones. The suspended head of the DMLE did not have a shirt or pants. Harry had no reaction for a moment and all three people were as still as statues. Then with what could only be described as a squeak Harry rushed out of the room.

A few minutes later Sirius and Amelia, both now fully clothes left the room, seeing Harry sitting across from the door muttering to himself. A whispered conversation between the two rose in intensity but not in volume. Finally Amelia made a harsh motion and walked back into the room. Sirius slid down next to his godson and let the silence stretch.

"So…" Harry managed to say.

"Nice of you to visit," Sirius commented. "We heard from Susan you had returned."

"We being you and Madam Bones?"

"No, everyone here, including the Delacour family."

"You look better Sirius," Harry observed, looking over his godfather.

"Is that really what you want to talk about?"

"You really do look better," Harry protested.

"Well, good food and the love of a good woman will do that," Sirius replied with a chuckle.

"You love her?" Harry asked. Sirius looked a little stunned. "Sirius? You ok?"

"Yeah, just a little surprised." Sirius tugged at his hair nervously. "I guess I do. Well, that makes the rest of my week easier."

"How so?" Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "Sirius," Harry started, "Don't tell me that after less than two months-"

"The clock doesn't start over again," Sirius stated. Harry raised an eyebrow. "We already know each other, and I think we love each other. At least I love her. I loved her when we were teenagers, and trust me, the adult Amelia is an improvement in my eyes."

"What is love like?" Harry inquired. "I mean, I've read about it, heard about it, seen it, but how do you know if you feel it?"

"Oh?"

"Wondering for a friend," Harry hastily claimed, and Sirius chuckled.

"Well, I can only speak to my own experience," Sirius confessed. "But for me, it was something that developed over time. But once it hits, it courses through you like the water of a river after a storm, filling and emptying you all at once. Making you want to be a better man and person. You feel it throughout your body, in your hands, in your heart, in your skin, and in your mind."

"You want to be her savoir, like she is yours. You get nervous when she is not around, you get angry when you see other men with her, even if they are your best friend. The only time you feel happy and complete is when she is with you. You are everything with her, and nothing without her. That, to me, is love. That is Amelia to me, Harry. Do you feel this way about someone, Harry? Have you ever felt this way?"

"I don't think so," Harry conceded after a long pause. "Maybe, if I think about it-"

"If you have to think about it," Sirius interjected, "you have not felt it." Harry nodded slowly. "Bleh. This is too heavy. I know we don't know each other well enough to talk about this, but maybe, in time."

"Please," Harry said as they helped each other to their feet. "You are the only adult male in my life who has a functioning relationship. If you can't help me, who can?"

"What about Akira?" Sirius asked they started walking down the stairs towards the entrance of the house. "I assume he could give some good advice."

"Arranged marriage," Harry said.

"Really?" Sirius gasped. "Never would have guessed. Who knew."

"I did," Harry shot back, and his godfather threw an arm around him. "But it's surprising I know. I only met Takashi-San's wife once, and they seemed madly in love. But if you don't mind…"

"You can come to me with anything," Sirius stated confidently. "I may not have been here for you before, but now, I promise, I am not going anywhere."

"Well, I'm happy to hear you say that," Harry commented. "You won't believe how my first day back at school went."

As they walked back to Remus, Sirius's face best resembled a fish that had been stabbed multiple times. Harry could tell his godfather was equal parts impressed and horrified by yet another crazy day in the life that was Harry Potter. Eventually Harry managed to calm Sirius down and the two marauders took stances across from each other.

"Moony hasn't been locked up for years, so he will be performing the counter curses," Sirius explained, drawing his wand. "We'll start with the bone-breaking hex." Sirius raised his wand a purple bolt shot out, and Remus flicked the bolt to the side. "One more time?" Harry nodded and Sirius attacked again.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

March, 1995

A week ago, Harry would have thrown himself out of the way of the unknown curses. Three days ago, Harry might have tried to knock the spells away with his wand. But the Harry prepared for his duel the next day easily spun his staff around, catching all three in a blur of wood. The crowd was stunned into shocked silence, and Warrington stood there with his mouth open. Whatever people has expected, it wasn't that.

Harry took a half step forward and snapped the staff at the older student. It cracked off his ribs and startled him into a yelp. Harry gave a half smile at that. Harry knew that if he had swung the staff with any force, he probably could have broken every rib, but even intending to do no damage, sometimes it was hard to control his strength.

"Is that all?" Harry forced a cocky smile onto his face, mainly to antagonize Warrington. The tactic worked and three more spells, all certainly of the "darker" variety raced towards Harry. His first instinct was to use the staff to redirect the spells but that would not prove the point Harry was trying to make when he agreed to teach a lesson.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

March, 1995 (two days earlier)

"Hermione, I'm not even qualified to teach Neville martial arts, and he has been working with Akira for months! I can't walk into a room and teach people how to punch! It's a waste of time."

"Harry! You promised you would teach me some stuff, and I let it slip to Luna." Harry gave a half growl. "You know how Luna is. I told her not to tell anyone, and then when everyone started asking about it, Luna just said that the crumpled-horn something told them."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. What was funny with Luna was that Krum had clearly come to the realization that some of the creatures she made up were, to some degree, fictional. They seemed to be in a state of flux, where Luna was making up creatures so fantastical that Krum had to admit that the time they spent together had less and less to do with creature research every day.

"So?" Harry shrugged. "Harry!" Hermione shouted. "You never go back on a promise."

"It wasn't a big deal with you," Harry explained. "But even if I did this, I doubt seventh years would take to kindly to being taught by a fourth year."

"You are a school champion!"

"Unwillingly!"

"Harry!" Hermione threw up her hands in frustration. "Stop looking for a way out of this!"

"Do you have any suggestions! I'm all ears." Harry was inches away from Hermione, his eyes blazing in frustration.

"I might have a suggestion." Harry and Hermione swiveled in dual anger towards the person who dare interject in their fight. Hermione's ire instantly dissipated when she saw professor Flitwick standing there. "I have heard around school that Harry is planning to teach a lesson two days from now, on Sunday? Is it advisable to do this a day before you have a dangerous duel?"

"It was just to be me and Hermione, maybe a few others," Harry admitted. "It has gotten out of hands."

"Yes it has," Flitwick commented. "Just today I approached Dumbledore about using the great hall, and was coming to find you to ask if you could accommodate more than 50 students."

"50!" Harry exclaimed.

"Closer to 100, actually," Flitwick replied. "Whether or not you see yourself as a school champion is irrelevant. You have always had a role you have held in Britain's wizarding society as a larger than life figure. However, this year, you have combined the legend with newfound power and skill. Things that make older students wonder if you truly had the power to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and performances that put you on a pedestal for younger students."

"You were always talented, Mr. Potter. A Patronus that can drive off hundreds of dementors is the mark of a truly powerful wizard." Harry avoided Flitwick's eyes. Clearly, the diminutive professor had heard a garbled story of the night of Sirius's first escape, but did not know the details. Despite Harry's ability to keep his emotions from his face, the safer course of action was to look away.

"But that was an isolated incident. I think that it's fair to say that most of your classwork has been good, but not great." Harry nodded ruefully. "Certainly not up to the standard of Miss. Granger here." Hermione blushed and gave a tiny yelp. "It is nothing to be ashamed of, Miss. Granger."

"Not in the slightest!" Harry proclaimed, giving Hermione an honest smile to show he agreed with Flitwick.

"But this year, I can say with utter certainty that if you moved into my N.E.W.T. charms classes you would be one of the top students when it comes to practical work. Minerva has also told me that you have shown incredible skill when you two work together and has mentioned she would like to come to some of your sessions to work on some advanced spell combinations that I learned from my time as a dueling champion. Also, your martial arts prowess means that you could perhaps defeat me in a duel with no restrictions. I dare say you might prove a challenging match for Dumbledore."

"Professor, surely you must be joking," Hermione said. To her surprise, Harry just looked pensive, but not overly troubled. Harry couldn't possibly believe that, could he? Dumbledore was...well he was Dumbledore!

"Maybe I am overexaggerating a little. But Harry wouldn't be the first student to be on the same level of strength as a professor. Though he might be the only fourth year, I do not know any fourth years who have trained by Nambung Sa-Bum." Harry gave a start at the realization that Professor Flitwick knew the name of his master. His hand even started to inch towards his holster.

"How do you know that name?" Harry asked, his muscles tensing in anticipation of action.

"Harry, I was a champion duelist. The name of people like your master came up occasionally. Trust me, I bear no ill-will towards the Lord of Lightning." Harry relaxed a little at that. If Flitwick knew his master as the Lord of Lightning, there was no reason to worry.

"Lord of Lightning?" Hermione was clearly stumped. "Who is that?" Flitwick and Harry looked at each other, both holding back a small laugh.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said, and while Hermione looked like she wanted to ask more questions, she allowed it to pass. "I believe we have gotten off topic. Professor Flitwick, I believe you had an idea for my lesson on Sunday?" Harry used air quotes for the word lesson, as that seemed to fit as well as "teacher" for his Patronus classes earlier in the year, even though lesson sounded as weird as teacher.

"Yes, I did. Would you perhaps show the idea to Minerva, myself, and some of the older students you are friends with, as well as a few from your year?"

"I mean, I could," Harry hesitantly replied. "Why?"

"Well, if we are going to have all seven years represented, as well as older students from other schools, it seems best to have them taught by appropriate years," Flitwick began to explain. "Therefore, Minerva and I would see your idea, and we could teach the N.E.W.T level students. Perhaps your friends Mr. Krum and Miss. Delacour, along with Hogwarts's own Mr. Diggory, could help the fourth and fifth year students. Then you and a few of your friends, perhaps Miss. Granger and Mr. Weasley could work with third year and down."

"That's a good idea!" Hermione exclaimed, but her exuberance was tempered by the look Harry had in his eyes. He looked physically ill. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's a good idea," Harry said, though his heart was clearly in it. Then a realization hit Hermione like a thunderbolt.

"It's Ron, isn't it?"

"Don't worry about it," Harry said, a little more firmly. "Professor, that's a good idea. How does 11am in the charms classroom sound, to show you and Professor McGonagall?"

"Excellent, Mr. Potter. I shall look forward to it."

"Professor?" Harry called out to the half-goblin as he walked away. Flitwick turned back to hear Harry's parting comment. "Harry is fine." Flitwick raised an eyebrow. "No need for the Potter. Just Harry."

"Very well, just Harry," Flitwick said with a little laugh as he walked away.

"Harry," Hermione said, putting her hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Have you still not made up with Ron?"

"It's not so much that," Harry said. "I have no issue with Ron anymore. But you know how I have run around the last few days to catch up with all my friends?" Hermione nodded. "Ron wasn't on that list. He hasn't even been on that list since the goblet. I'm fine without him, maybe even better off. I don't feel bad for leaving him behind. But that makes me feel bad."

"What?"

"I feel bad because I don't feel bad for ditching our friendship." Hermione just squeezed Harry's shoulder in comfort. "Sorry to drop that on you, I know you and Ron are still close."

"Harry, look at me," Hermione said, grabbing Harry's head and turning him to look him in the eyes. "No matter what context, romantic, friendship, schoolwork, or even just to talk about quidditch, I want you to know, it is always you over Ron." Harry tried to look away from the raw emotion in Hermione's eyes, but she kept him locked on her. "Always you, Harry." Then she looked away, both of them a little uncomfortable with the depth of feeling Hermione had put into that statement.

"So, do you want to get Hannah and Dean then?" Harry finally said. Hermione accepted the blatant change of subject. "If one of them is busy, maybe Daphne?"

"And you are going to get the older students?" Harry nodded. "Sounds good. Hey Harry?" Hermione called after Harry. "If you are going to be teaching all seven years, won't you have to come up with something everyone can do?" Harry's eyes widened at that, and he looked flummoxed. Then a big smile broke out over his face.

"I'll just figure it out on the fly," Harry said with his smile now unreserved. "When has that ever gone wrong for us?"

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

March, 1995

This time Harry dodged the spells, slipping to his right the moment the first spell was fired and swinging the staff along the ground. The moment the third spell impacted the wall behind him, the older Slytherin's feet were impacted by the staff and he was unceremoniously dumped on his back.

"Thank you, Mr. Warrington," Harry said, walking past him to stand in front of the assembled crowd. "Can someone tell me what he did wrong?" Harry felt the build up of magic behind him and didn't even to look as he thrust the staff backwards. He felt impact and heard a cry of pain. "Never forget about your opponent. We can work on that another time." Harry turned and there was a challenge in his eyes. "Unless you'd like to continue?" There was hate in Warrington's eyes, but he was also on the ground in pain, so Harry left him alone. "Anyone?" Harry saw a hand raise slowly near the back of the assembled students. Harry gave a tiny wave of his hand to his grandmother, who looked towards the hands.

"Miss Roberts?" A girl with a badger on her robes stepped forward, the crowd around her seemed to part. Harry estimated she was probably a third year, as she wasn't in his year. He would ask Luna later.

"I might know," the girl said, and then seemed to shrink into herself as every eye in the room fixed itself on her. Harry glanced at his grandmother again and mouthed _who_. Minnie nodded and mouthed back _Michelle_.

"Michelle," Harry called and the girl whipped around to stare at Harry. Harry silently thanked his grandmother as he squared up to the girl. "What do you think?" Unsurprisingly, the girl seemed terrified of speaking now, and Harry reprimanded himself silently. He had assumed an older and more confident student would speak up first, but the last thing he wanted to do was embarrasses a younger student, either by calling her answer blatantly wrong or stunning her into silence.

"Maybe," Michelle managed to speak, "Maybe he wasn't thinking?" Harry nodded encouragingly. The girl was very close to the answer. She was much more intuitive than he was as a third year, Harry realized. "He just attacked you."

"What should he have done?" Harry asked, trying to get her to say a little more, but she just ducked her head. It had taken all of her Gryffindor courage to say those few words, and she was done now. _Give her points_, Harry mouthed to Minnie.

"Ten Points to Hufflepuff, Miss Roberts," Professor McGonagall called, and the girl looked ecstatic.

"Very good, Michelle," Harry added. "That is what Cassius did." The seventh year Slytherin had departed the stage and glared at Harry for the use of his first name, but Harry simply didn't care about sparing his feelings or being respectful. Any other wizard in the school would have been seriously hurt if they had been hit in the back by the blood boiling curse that had been building on his wand before Harry hit him. "So what should he have done?"

"Been prepared for you to beat him?" There were scattered laughs through the crowd as Harry focused on the speaker, a girl in Beauxbatons robes.

"Close," Harry said with a smile. "But the two of you are heading in the right direction. Harry saw Neville smile at him. It didn't surprise Neville knew the right answer, it was a basic martial arts principle. But he didn't want to show favoritism, and would have loved it if someone he wasn't friends with could answer.

"Did he have to prepare for what to do if his attacks didn't work?" A voice called out from the back. Harry gave a tiny fist pump at that.

"Miss Stanley?" Professor Flitwick An older girl in a Slytherin robe stepped forward. This time Harry glanced at Daphne, who mouthed _Seventh Year_.

"Exactly!" Harry crowed in triumph. "Cassius just attacked. It was a good attack, three tough spells in quick succession, all that would have hit me. But they were all in the same spot? What if I dodged the first? What if I tried to counter? The only move he thought through was his attack. He didn't consider any of the actions I could take if the fight continued. Sure, his strategy would have worked if his first curse hit me. But whether it be a fight or duel, you have to consider a variety of outcomes."

"Thank you for the demonstration," Professor Flitwick called out.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Warrington" Harry said tonelessly, giving a few sarcastic claps. "Now, let's work on this principle in smaller groups. Sixth and Seventh years, you will be with Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall in the far corner. Fourth and Fifth Years, with Miss Delacour and Mr. Krum and Diggory over there. First through third years, you guys come here." As the groups split up and the younger students crowded around him, Harry had a thought strike him that had him smiling.

"What is it?" Hannah asked as she took her place to the side of him. His other two "teaching assistants," Dean and Neville were at the back of the group.

"Some of them are less than a year younger than me," Harry commented in a quiet voice so only Hannah could hear him, "but don't they look a little like ducklings?" Hannah gave Harry a friendly swat on the head. "Ok. Hannah, did you bring them?" Hannah nodded and pulled from her robe a bundle of sticks. The four older students paired up the younger ones, and then created 10 paces between each student. Hannah then tossed the sticks in between the students and with an incantation and a flick of her wand, the sticks started to turn into mats. Harry, Dean and Neville followed suit, and soon there was a mat for every pair.

"Now, I'd like you to switch off. No more than three spells. And remember, before you start, create a plan in your head. If it isn't working, don't be afraid to switch it up. It is much better to take your time and make each of your spells effective then it is to throw them as fast as you can." The students nodded earnestly at the advice. "Ok. Left side first."

For the next hour Harry roamed around the students. He first focused on students who were not casting spells properly. He corrected form, stance, wand movement, incantation, and focus. This was easier to do, and around him he seemed to see Neville, Dean, and Hannah doing the same. Soon the first through third years had limited problems casting their admittedly small repertoire of offensive and defensive spells.

After the casting was performing better, it was time to make sure the point of the lessen was driven home. After watching a pair for a few minutes (and Harry made sure not to make his observation obvious to the younger years, as they would get flustered when they realized his eyes were on them) Harry would step in and talk for a few minutes, trying to guide the students to get to the correct answer on their own.

Sweating a little from the action, Harry looked down at his watch and his eyes bugged out. The hour had flown by, and Charlie's dragon lecture was in an hour. He had not missed a single one while at Hogwarts, and he was not about to stop now.

"Attention, Attention!" Harry bellowed out, and the room turned to him. "I think we have reached the end of our time." To his surprise, he heard a few exclamations of annoyance, and more than a few who seemed legitimately upset that the session was already over. "Professor Weasley's dragon lecture is starting soon, and I do not plan to miss it. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend."

As students started to file out of the great hall, Harry and his fellow year mates rolled up the mats and floated them over to the raised platform Harry had done his demonstration on. They were chatting happily about how the class had gone, but Harry had a slightly sour look and stood away from the group as the older students and teachers added their transfigured mats to the pile.

"I thought that went well," McGonagall said as she looked over the student teachers. "It was a good lesson for all ages." Harry just grunted and stared off into the distance.

"Very well indeed." Most of the students and teachers turned and saw Dumbledore approaching, a broad smile on his face. "The students seem to enjoy themselves."

"In fact, most of them were mad Harry stuck with the youngest group," Cedric joked. Harry didn't even bother responding. "Harry? You ok?"

"He's fine," McGonagall said, moving in between the group and her grandson. "He just mentally preparing?"

"That takes a day?" Hannah asks.

"If he has to kill his opponent, it takes a lifetime," Dean responded. There were somber nods and eventually even the student teachers left, leaving only Flitwick, McGonagall, and Dumbledore.

"Can I help you, headmaster?" McGonagall's voice was icy cold.

"Minerva, there is no need for the hostility," Dumbledore said. Flitwick stared at the Gryffindor Head of House and the Headmaster. They had always to be in sync and supportive of each other, but now he could literally sense the anger rolling of his good friend Minerva. What's more, instead of the headmaster's normal relaxed temperament, Albus seemed annoyed and disconcerted by the transfiguration teacher's attitude.

"If you don't need anything-"

"I'd actually appreciate it if I could have a moment with Harry," Dumbledore interjected. Minerva turned her nose up at him and moved a little to the side. "Alone, if you don't mind."

"I do mind," Minerva shot back. Flitwick saw Harry turn and place an arm on McGonagall's. The older women turned to him, and he just gave a gentle nod. Minerva leaned in a whispered something, and then she strode out of the room. Flitwick glanced at Harry, who stared at the headmaster stoically, and then retreated after his friend.

"That was quite an impressive class Harry. You certainly have a talent for teaching."

"Thank you headmaster," Harry replied mechanically.

"The young students can be challenging, but you did a great job engaging them.

"Oh, they weren't so bad," Harry said, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice or the smile off his face.

"Would you consider making the class a weekly addition to our curriculum? I'm sure that Professor Hayashi and Moody would be happy to help out."

"To be honest I wasn't planning any of this," Harry admitted. "It spiraled out of control. Ask me again in a few days, and I'll think about it."

"Very good, very good." Dumbledore mumbled, half to Harry and half to himself.

"If that's all?"

"Harry, my boy, I believe we must talk about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Your ill-advised blood feud with Mr. Malfoy." Harry faced twisted into an angry snarl. "You do not understand the full connotation of this duel. I am sure that wiser heads can prevail and-"

"No, headmaster, you are the one who does not understand," Harry snapped. "I will not be swayed in this. Your invitation is purely as an official of the Wizengamot and to start the spell that creates the shields until one party is unable to continue."

"Harry, I insist-"

"You will insist nothing." Harry was visibly incensed. "Headmaster You called Draco Mr. Malfoy," Harry pointed out. "You WILL extend me the same curtesy in the future." Dumbledore reared back at the pure vitriol in the young Gryffindor's voice. "If that's all?" Harry left without waiting for an answer. Dumbledore sighed as he watched the young champion leave.

He suspected that Harry knew the worst case scenario for who he might fight. What's worse, that worse case scenario would not surrender, nor would Harry be allowed to surrender. That fight would only end with the death of one of the participants. Dumbledore was loath to let Harry die in the fight.

But if Harry was stubborn, Dumbledore could not interfere. There was nothing he could do, even with all his influence, to stop a blood-duel. Albus had managed to convince Severus not to champion Draco, but it turned out that Severus was only the second to the real champion for Draco. Harry's opponent would be a far more dangerous foe. It was not that Severus was not a capable wizard. In fact, in many ways Severus was stronger than Harry's opponent. But Harry had never fought in a fight like this before.

In the back of his mind, Dumbledore knew there was an even darker possibility. That Harry killed his opponent and discovered he liked the taste of causing pain and killing. That he had a talent unlike a brilliant student all those years ago. And Dumbledore promised himself that while he may have allowed for the rise of one dark lord, he would not preside over another. No matter the personal cost.

The next morning at breakfast anyone who was even remotely close to Harry stopped by at least once to offer him a word of encouragement or support. Through all of it, Harry stayed unmoved. Even Hermione on one arm, Fleur on the opposite arm, or Neville across from him could only get the barest response from him.

"Potter," Snape sneered at the boy. "It is time. I assume you have no second." The potions professor was wearing the formal dueling robes with the Malfoy crest on his right shoulder.

"What?" Harry said. "No, I have a second."

"That reprobate Black?" Severus sneered. "Unless he is your champion, he will be kissed on sight."

"And of course, there are dementors here because of Draco's champion," Harry claimed. Snape's eyes widened. "Ah, so Sirius and Remus were right. Draco was indeed desperate, and daddy Malfoy was a coward." Severus hissed at Harry. "Oh, I guess you are a coward too." Snape's face flushed, and Harry watched in surprise as Snape slowly drew his wand.

"The robes of a second, Snape?" Severus whirled to face the older woman entering the hall. "I would be happy to oblige you if Draco's champion cannot fight."

"Auntie!" Susan sprung from the table and raced to hug her aunt. "What are you doing here?"

"Did Harry not tell you?" Amelia said with a smile of a young girl. "I recently had a change in my status." Susan looked at her aunt with surprise, and then she glanced down. What could only be classified as a shriek of excitement came from Susan as her aunt raised her hand.

"Oh my god, auntie!" Susan held up Amelia's hand. "He proposed?" The Gryffindor table erupted into whispered, as did the other nearby tables though not with as much fervor.

"I sent in my permeant resignation from the DMLE yesterday. We were thinking about a summer wedding." Susan nodded excitedly.

"I'm so happy for you two, after all this time."

"I fail to see why you are here or why you would fight me," Snape stated, his voice icy cold.

"You need a course in pureblood etiquette, potions master," Amelia said. "Not surprising for someone of your standard. You are standing in for Draco as the second. If the challenged has anyone who is related by wizarding law, but not by blood stand for them, then the same right is extended to the challenger." Amelia ripped the top of her cloak's shoulder, revealing the black crest. "You should tell Lord Malfoy that Lady Black will be more than happy to teach him a lesson in manners if he steps into the ring."

"It's not Lucuis, or Narcissa," Harry said. "It's the worst possible option." Amelia paled and laid a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Harry, I should take your place."

"No," Harry stated. "Nobody should take my place. This isn't about pride, or dignity, or even Malfoy's words anymore. Even though I will make him sign that damn contract when I win. This is about justice. Justice for everyone hurt by that monster." For just a second, Harry's brilliant green eyes, harder than anyone had ever seen, flickered and replacing them was something blood red. But then green was back, and Neville figured it must have been a trick of the light as Harry rose and left the hall with his godfather's fiancé.


	48. Chapter 48

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: READ THIS AUTHORS NOTE! TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter has a section that is very dark, and more than a little gruesome. The language is filled with cursing throughout the chapter and some of the scenes depicted could best be described sickening. I will make of note of the part where it starts, and where it ends, and write a quick summary at the bottom of the chapter that summarizes the action without the gory details, but be forewarned, this chapter alone earns the M rating for this story.**

**I debated for a while whether or not to get as dark as this chapter is, as this is on the whole a light-hearted story for the most part. But I felt like some gritty realism worked best for the story I am telling in this chapter.**

Chapter 48: Birth and Death of a Monster

March, 1995

The first thing Harry noticed was the absence of wind. Maybe it was because all the time he spent on the quidditch pitch in the past was on a broom with the wind rushing past his face. But now the rows of unfilled seats were a little unnerving. Harry had never feared Draco when they were on brooms. Even first year Harry had been better on a broom even before the rough tutelage that was the trademark of Oliver Wood. But seeing Draco smirk at him across the pitch was unnerving.

Equally unnerving were the pair of dementors hovering over the far side of the stadium. Amelia's eyes tightened as her eyes lit upon the soul-sucking monsters and she saw a black cloaked figure across the pitch with the Malfoy family in attendance, along with the potions professor.

"Harry, are you sure about this?" Amelia asked. Harry was touched by concern. She was obviously very in love with Sirius or she would not have come. To offer to fight Draco's champion was not something to take lightly, as now the worst fears of all those in Harry's corner was confirmed.

"Of course I'm not," Harry answered. "But I need to see where I stand, and putting Draco in his place is as good a motivation as any. Once I realized who might champion him, the advantages were too high. Amelia, you know as well as I that another war is on the horizon. There may not be another chance to take out Draco's champion in a one-on-one fight."

"You don't need to worry about a war in the future."

"So I should back down? Surrender a Wizengamot seat to Malfoy?" The idea of Malfoy on that council made Amelia feel literally sick.

"The wager was really not fair."

"Draco won't be able to stop himself. Lucius knows that." Harry stared down the elder Malfoy, who looked supremely pleased. "He is a slimy bastard, but he is clever. As much as I hate to admit it because I loathe him, he is an excellent Slytherin. His plots and schemes have contingencies within contingencies. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a portkey waiting to take Draco away in case I win."

"Harry," Amelia voice was tinged with worry, "the person you are fighting will not give up. Nothing short of death will stop her."

"Amelia, do you remember what I told you in December?" Amelia struggled to remember the exact conversation. Then her eyes shone with recognition. "The first deadly curse thrown at me, and I retaliate with similar force."

"This is not someone you can engage in a magical battle Harry." Amelia felt like she was Sisyphus trying to talk Harry off this ledge he seemed determined to sit on. "And Malfoy made sure you can't touch her. It was actually pretty smart."

"I wouldn't be willing to fight her if I didn't think I could win," Harry mentioned. Then he saw Bellatrix remove the robe that had hidden her identity. "Well, it's good to get confirmation." He stretched a little and then gave Amelia a pat on the shoulder. "Get behind the wards." Amelia joined the professors, who had all come to witness the fight.

"This is a blood duel of Harry Potter of line Potter and Peverell and Draco Malfoy of line Malfoy," Dumbledore said as Harry and Draco stepped forward. "As the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I shall be the witness. Do you have seconds?"

"My godfather, Severus Snape."

"The intended of my godfather, Amelia Bones." Malfoy Sr. seemed to register the presence of Madam Bones for the first time and his face twisted.

"You can't do that!" Draco screeched. Harry looked at him with contempt and then backhanded Draco across the face, sending him flying across the pitch.

"Name your champion, Draco," Harry told him as the Malfoy heir came up spitting blood and teeth. "I have class this afternoon."

"My champion is Bellatrix Lestrange, blood sister of my mother!" Draco cried. The witch strode forward and Harry saw the crazy in her eyes. Not the craze of battle, or the craze of genius. Pure, unadulterated crazy of complete and total madness.

"The shields will not lower as soon as magic accepted the blood of the participants. The duel shall be conducted with no body to body contact, and shall continue until one of the participants cannot continue or forfeits. There shall be no spell restrictions."

"Oh goody," Bellatrix said with a squeal. "I'll have friend for the Longbottoms. I haven't heard proper screams for a long time. Maybe after I destroy you, I'll send a few more with you."

"You were indeed the one who tortured Alice and Frank Longbottom?" Harry asked, his face ashen.

"They screamed and screamed!" Bellatrix laughed maniacally.

"Like you are about too," Harry snarled.

"The wager is accepted?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes showing his fear at the magical intent radiating off the contestants. Before Harry had seemed angry, but composed. Now every spell would be with the intent of eventually killing Bellatrix.

"It is," Bellatrix said.

"It is," Harry replied, and he felt the magical shields come up around them.

"Begin," Dumbledore said. Harry almost died in that moment. Bellatrix was fast and in an instant from close range three spells flew from her wand. Harry didn't even have time to increase his speed with his magic, and only the fact that his reflexes were now almost as fast as the mad witch's wand allowed him to dodge two curses and counter the third. He recognized the spells as a blood boiling spell and two organ exploding curses.

But in the moment that he dodged the spells Harry was forced to break one of the cardinal rules drilled into him by all his instructors: never give ground and almost died a second time in as many seconds. He had stepped back to give himself time to counter the third curse and Bellatrix seized on that opportunity with glee. She fired two curses that Harry recognized as blasting curses. He thought about shielding to allow himself to regain his balance but the spells were fast and full of power, so he threw himself to the side and just about managed to avoid them. They impacted on the shields behind him with power that made him shiver.

Now with his balance back Harry responded with two bone-breakers, but his opponent batted them away with contemptuous ease. A slow red bolt was her response, and Harry's eyes widened. Remus and Sirius had shown him this one but due to the danger he had never faced it, even in simulation. It could not be blocked but it was easy enough to stop. As the curse traveled the ground and Harry prepared to raise the ground to take the power from it, he managed to sense two more curses out of the corner of his eye.

With a twirl of incredible agility Harry deflected one curse and grabbed onto the power of the other, throwing it back at the slow curse he recognized as Lycacomia Curse. He loved Remus, but Harry was not keen on becoming a werewolf. Bellatrix just smiled and cackled with excitement. Harry was not breathing hard, but to his surprise, neither was Bellatrix. A quick pulse of sensory magic revealed something that Harry had started to suspect. Harry had trained for months to be able to move his magic and physical strength to where it was needed most, but it required spells, control, and focus. Bellatrix had never been trained like he was, but it seemed she could adjust her magic and speed accordingly, with pure natural talent.

Bellatrix's wand was instantly in her hand and with frightening speed a hail of deadly curses were headed Harry's way. Harry extended his hand and plunging from the stands came his firebolt, which he grabbed with both hands and infused with a little defense magic. A quick spin of Harry's broom nullified the curses. Harry leapt and swept his broom forward, sending Bellatrix flying as the air current smashed into her. The witch rose with a smile on her face.

"Looks like little Potty came to play." There was no reaction from the stoic 14 year old. "Don't worry, it will all be over soon." Harry just grinned. Now it was his turn to attack, and he would not give her a chance to recover.

A trio of blasting curses crashed against Bellatrix's shield, but the following two stunners curved around her shield in an arc and only a last ditch attempt to have the shield cover her entire body stopped the fight from ending right there. But the shield was now weaker, and Harry fired off three piercing hexes, all curving at different angles. All three broke through the makeshift shield and one caught her in the shoulder.

All the momentum was on Harry's side and two bone-breakers were heading towards the Azkaban based witch. He slipped in a jelly legs curse, and like he planned Draco's aunt missed the weaker curse and her legs flopped to the ground. Bellatrix easily canceled the curse, but Harry felt he had the measure of her now. She had impressed him with her speed at the beginning of the fight, but now his magic was buzzing with power as he sapped his strength and stamina to end the fight. She couldn't react to his combination of wand work and occasional torrent of wind from his broom, and as long as he continued to use his prodigious physical abilities to enhance his magic and infuse the broom, she would be unable to penetrate his defenses.

"Tired Potty?" Bellatrix taunted, even though she was breathing heavily and bleeding from her wand hand shoulder.

"Not particularly," Harry said. "You can join your half-blood master. Voldemort was it?"

"You'll die for that!" Bellatrix screamed. "Avada-" The spell was cut off as Bellatrix had to jump out of the way of two cutting curses that would have removed her head.

"That's an awfully long incantation," Harry seemed totally unaffected by the first half of the incantation that could have ended his life. "Why don't you try a shorter one?"

"Imperio!" Harry didn't even bother allowing the spell to take control of him. He shattered the magic the moment the spell touched his skin. Was this the true strength of the dark lord's most trusted servant? "Crucio!" It was all too easy to dodge the red bolt and with a twirl of his broom Bellatrix was sent flying again, smashing into the shields containing the contestants. Already the end? Bellatrix would prove tricky to most wizards and witches, but how could Lucius Malfoy risk one of the most powerful death eaters against him?

"Is this truly what you have, mad witch?" Harry walked towards her calmly. "You could not have touched the Longbottoms. Who was with you? Who assisted you?" Harry's broom came down with force and Bellatrix screamed in pain as Harry's broom jerked up and Bellatrix was held against the shields by Harry's magic. "Who was with you?"

Nambung had drilled into Harry that in a duel to death, any attempt to extract information meant that your sensor for danger needed to be as high as possible. Harry wasn't thinking straight as his magic began to crush Bellatrix. But the muscle memory of a month of training reacted and Harry jumped back just in time to avoid a flurry of green bursts that spilled from Bellatrix's hand.

"What was that?" Harry wondered aloud. "Wandless and silent killing curses?" Bellatrix rose from her crumpled position on the ground. "That's not possible." Now Harry was a little unnerved and he realized with horror that he had been too foolish and too arrogant. Now he was facing a Bellatrix who was not laughing, concentrated on taking his life with no frills or tricks. But Bellatrix extended both arms and just smirked. Once again it was only reflex as green bolts shot from the hands of his opponent and Harry jumped out of range. If the opponent was going to be firing unforgivable, then his broom would be useless. And as Harry discarded his broom, the mad witch struck.

Harry managed to avoid yet another green bolt that would have ended his life, but he ran straight into the red bolt from her right hand. He collapsed to the ground, pain wracking every muscle in his body. He tried to rise but the pain was too much. With a croak he managed to raise his head but Bellatrix raised her wand and pointed it at his stomach and Harry felt a rib break, slashing deeper into his body than before and causing another devastating jolt og pain.

"Little Harry Potter, tried to play with Bella!" Bella sang. Harry felt another jolt of unbearable pain shoot through him. It was like being stabbed by a million knives at once, and he felt his consciousness fading. Then another bout of pain shot through him keeping him awake. Harry's throat was raw from screaming. "He never told you, did he? Because the old man knew!"

"He knew I could do this. I am special, the dark lord's beloved. My master showed me the way, and I took his power into me. But that isn't all, Potty!" Harry saw Bella draw her wand. "It is so much more potent when I use my wand, and I get to steal your power and make it my own. You will help me kill countless mudbloods and blood traitors when I walk free. Isn't that nice?"

Akira was terrified as he realized that Harry would lose. His brother couldn't stand, not after countless cruciatus curses. But he knew the shields around the blood duel were impenetrable to anyone short of Nambung. As Bellatrix cast another curse, Akira saw a glint in the grass. He zeroed in on it, and saw the watch Harry always wore lying there, and Harry reaching with his left hand for his right hand, grabbing the index finger.

"No, STOP!" Akira cried, but it was too late as Harry pried the ring off his finger. A burst of power rippled the shields, nocking Bellatrix away in a swarm of pure magical power. Harry rose from the ground, a cloud of red smog encircling him. His green eyes, a trademark of the Potter/Evans coupling was gone, replaced by red eyes. Red eyes that made Bellatrix look sane.

**TRIGGER WARNING**

"Ah," Harry said, although the voice was not his own. "The pain was finally too much for Harry. It's about time." With a feral grin and a wave of his hand, Harry broke Bella's arms. The witch cried as she fell to the ground, and with a negligent wave of his hand two swords appeared. There was no movement, no command as the swords flew through the air and pierced Bellatrix's hand, pinning it to the ground, Blood gushed everywhere as Bellatrix screamed.

"Don't scream, you stupid bitch" Harry said as he walked over and grabbed the swords. "I said DON'T SCREAM! I am just getting started. Your end will last until the end of time, and only then may you scream"

"By Merlin!" McGonagall exclaimed. "What is happening?"

"That's not Harry," Akira said sadly. "Bellatrix is doomed now."

"Not Harry?" McGonagall asked as tears rolled down her cheeks as Harry conjured more blades and stuck them in the broken arms of Bellatrix, his grin turning cruel as all four blades twisted at once.

"No. It's Ares. And he won't give control back this time."

**FIRST TRIGGER OVER**

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

July, 1994

"Father, have you seen Harry?" Akira asked as he walked into the main dojo. "Some of the other students indicated-" Akira pulled up short. His mother was waving her wand over his father, closing long cuts and lacerations. In the far corner sat Nambung, totally exhausted with a bloody cut from navel to collarbone. "Father!"

"Akira," his father wheezed.

"Stay still my love," his mother said. "You will need to rest. Your magic will need days to recover." Akira sent out a pulse of sensory magic and then pulled back in horror. His father's magic felt wrong, corrupted even. Nambung, who pulsed untold power even when he was trying to remain untracked was entirely drained. Something had caused him to use his entire core.

"What happened?" Akira asked as he knelt by his father.

"We were fools," Nambung spat. "Harry had been holding back all summer. He never did damage, pulled his punches. He was afraid of causing real pain, a reminder of his childhood. So I convinced your father to force him to deal with his pain, and anger and sadness. We would draw it all out, and contain it. But when all his negative feelings came to the surface…" He trailed off, and Akira saw uncertainty in the Taekwondo master's eyes.

"Harry wasn't Harry anymore. He called himself Ares, a manifestation of the monstrous situation his body has been put through again and again. Harry couldn't take the pain he was dealing with, not from people he trusted. Ares broke through and took control of his body."

"Harry has two personalities?"

"No," Nambung replied, "Harry has two souls inhabiting one body. His magic was different, dangerous. Every time we hit him with a spell, he infected our magic. He seemed to feed off our attacks. Finally we managed to restrain him, but Ares is not an apprentice."

"What do you mean?" Akira asked. Nambung drew his wand and numbered appeared in the air.

"Imagine all your power, skills, martials arts and magic as a single number. The average adult wizard is probably at 40, for arguments sake," Nambung said and a blue 40 appeared. "You are probably at 60 at the moment. Your father is at 400, and I am at 500."

"So you are 10 times stronger than me," Akira noted. He could accept that.

"No, it's not simple math," his father said. If it was that, you would be 100 and Nambung would be one hundred thousand. 100 times stronger than you." Akira was silent, unsure with why they were doing this. "Harry, in control of his body, is probably a 30 at the moment. Under serious duress, he shows incredible power, up to a 50 and maybe even beyond. But normally he cannot pull this power out."

"But when Ares is in control, all the limiters are released, and pain becomes the goal. This Ares soul has already mastered specialty magic, magic that is not Harry's and geared towards total destruction. Any negative feeling Harry feels, he transforms into power. If you fear him, hate him, or even feel pain from his attacks, he gets stronger. Ares's power reached 300 before we managed to contain him and force Harry's soul back into dominance."

"What happened?" Akira asked, transfixed by the tale.

"Harry was horrified," Nambung explained. "We had to perform a surgical obliviation and sealing." Akira had to hold back vomit. His father hated using obliviation and any time he sealed power it mean something was horribly wrong. "Harry doesn't know about the existence of Ares, and until his latent power can suppress Ares, he never will."

"How?"

"The watch I gave him is covered in restraining spells geared towards Ares's magic, and it hides a ring on Harry's finger. Even if he removes the watch, Ares would need to enter Harry's mind and convince him to remove the ring. The watch I give him when he goes back to school will be even more powerful. Ares will be contained. He must be. If he emerges again, the Harry we know and care for may never return."

"Is there anything that could give Ares more power?" Nambung and Takashi Hayashi glanced at each other.

"Perhaps if he experienced pain like he experiences at his uncle's house," Hayashi said after a long pause. "But I doubt that Ares could invade Harry's mind to the point that he manages to get Harry to take of the ring. You know what Harry's mental strength is like. There should be nothing to worry about. Nothing too bad. Ares will stay contained."

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

**SECOND TRIGGER**

March, 1995

Ares had summoned more blades and was happily chopping off tiny pieces of Bellatrix. Occasionally he took one of the blades and licked up a little bit of the blood. He seemed to grow in happiness as the mad witch's screams seem to intensify in volume, even though she was silenced. "Not yet," he muttered as he removed a toe from her right foot with a swipe of a blade. "Not yet."

"How is this possible?" Minerva asked Akira as he explained everything

"The boy that is Harry is gone. The pain became too much for him. He probably removed the watch of his own volition. He knows it restrains his power. But with the pain in his mind, Ares was able to find a foothold. He probably told Harry that if the ring was removed, the pain would stop. The desire for vengeance, all of this was too much."

"What will stop Ares?"

"Nothing," Akira said. "He will grow more and more powerful as he feeds on Bellatrix's pain and suffering. We need the shields around the duel to stop now. Any more and we will not be able to force Ares back inside Harry's head, and the longer Ares is the dominant personality, the more his behavior will affect Harry. If tomorrow comes around and Ares is still not contained, it won't matter what happens. The personalities will essentially fuse, with Ares as the decision maker."

"But there is no way to stop a blood duel," Dumbledore warned him. "When Bellatrix finally dies, we will need to make sure Harry does not follow a dark path. No matter what it takes." Akira scowled at him, but then a light came to Minerva's eyes. "Minerva, you have an idea?"

"I just want to tell you what will happen," Ares explained as all the swords started to remove toes and fingers with excruciating slowness. When I am done removing every finger and toe, then I will break your legs so you can't move. I will stop your cuts from bleeding too much. Then I will leave you alive so you can watch me kill the rest of your family. The Lestrange and Black bloodlines will be purged from the other. The Malfoy's will suffer my wrath next. But I can be merciful"

Ares inhaled deeply as Bellatrix's waves of fear, hatred, and pain filled his sinuses. He felt better than the first time he had emerged. For years, Ares had dwelt in Harry's psyche, only able to give slight urges to force the boy to tact rashly and forcefully, hoping that one day Harry would experience enough pain to allow him to emerge. He had never realized that the emotional scars Harry had were too deep to allow simple emotion to overwhelm the dominant personality. But when the foolish masters over the summer had combined physical and mental pain, he had broken free, realizing his power. And now Ares had no intention of ever allowing Harry to take back control.

"Tell me who was with you when you tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom." Ares saw Bellatrix's eyes go wide. "Tell me, and I will end the pain. If you try to say you give up, the pain will go on for days. Do we have an agreement?" Bellatrix nodded. "Very well then." Ares waved his wand. "Who was it?"

"My brother in law and husband, Rastaban and Rodolfus."

"And?" Ares said, raising a blade high. "I can see you are forgetting someone."

"Barty Crouch Jr! Please, end the pain!"

"Turns out I am a monster too," Ares said, waving his wand and silencing Bellatrix again. "Wouldn't want you to use that disgusting voice to surrender." He took a deep breath, inhaling her pain and suffering. "I hope you are ready for the next course," Ares said as he banished most of the blades, but used the remaining two to slice Bellatrix's legs off at the shin. With a wave of wand, Harry conjured a blazing fire, cauterizing the wounds. "Would you like me to let you speak? So that you can forfeit? Maybe even be healed?" Ares could see Bellatrix trying to speak. "Oh. Today is not your lucky day." Fire incinerated her feet and they burned to ash. "Only when you cannot fight anymore, remember." Ares twirled his wand. "I snapped yours, but you could always steal mine. Brilliant I know."

"Now, why don't we see what is hiding under those robes?" The blades sliced down but instead of removing clothing they carved long bloody scythes of pain in Bellatrix's upper body. "Whoops. I am so clumsy. Let's try again." This time Ares removed an ear, then a hand. "It's like a puzzle. What will I cut next?" The blade descended again, but hit a solid metal shield and rebounded.

"Mr. Malfoy has conceded, and the duel is over," Dumbledore said, his wand trained on Ares.

"The duel may be over, but this battle is not," Ares growled. "It never ends. Until all the injustice my vessel suffers is righted. Thank you for appearing, old man. It saves me the trouble of seeking you out." Ares leapt, sword in hand, and only Akira's quick intervention stopped him from removing Dumbledore's arm at the shoulder. "Ah, brother. Do not stand in my way, or I will cut you down."

"Not advisable," Akira said as he drew his own wand and Ares copied his actions. "Harry wouldn't truly try to fight as you dealt with Bellatrix. But he will fight back if you try and harm his brother." Ares seemed to lock in place. "Now!" Chains spilled out from the wands of every professor but Snape, locking Ares in place. The monster struggled against the chains and the magically enhanced restraints were on the edge of bursting. Ares took a half step forward and spit a yellow ball of fire, almost enveloping Professor Sprout until Flitwick intervened and banished the fire.

"The ring!" Minerva summoned the ring and tossed it to Akira. He raced towards Ares as the chains began to break from the unfathomable strength. "Turn him back!" As Akira neared Ares the last chain snapped and as Ares began to turn Akira realized his brother's sinister spirit was too slow. But as Akira extended his hand to slip the ring back on and give his brother back control until the watch could be reapplied, a conjured series of arrows rushed past him. Ares simply smiled and deflected them towards Akira, making the Japanese man vault over Ares.

"STOP!" Akira yelled but the jump had cost him. Ares caught him center of mass with a giant sword and Akira spit up blood and collapsed to the floor.

"This is where you choose to meet your end, brother? Pitiful." Then Ares was hit from behind with a red bolt, and he collapsed. Out of the corner of his eye, Akira saw Bellatrix with her remaining hand outstretched. Ares rose on unsteady feet and advanced towards Bellatrix, knocking away a second crucio with his sword. "I wasn't finished with you bitch. Thanks for reminding me that I needed to end you first!" Ares's blade rose to cut of Bellatrix's other arm but his right hand was open and with the last of his strength Akira cast the ring underhand, and it latched onto Ares's hand and with a howl of anger the sword in Ares hand shrunk to a dagger but the momentum was too much and the dagger plunged into Bellatrix's skull. The witch collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut, dead the moment the blade penetrated her skin.

**SECOND TRIGGER OVER**

The green eyes were back and Harry turned in a full circle to see the carnage. A death rattle came from the woman below him, and Harry stared in horror at the dagger in his hand. Then he spotted Akira and with a cry he ran to his brother. "He needs blood replenishing potions!" Harry dove into his magic and with brute force tried to force the wound to close.

Eventually McGonagall dragged him away and Harry sat with bated breath as Madam Pomfrey tried her best to stabilize his brother. It took an hour on the pitch, as Pomfrey was too afraid to move him. But at the end of the hour the healer announced that while he would need rest Akira would recover and Harry let out a breath.

"Everything will be ok," Minnie was saying as she hugged Harry. "None of that was you."

"He got out of control, didn't he?"

"You knew he was there?" Harry gave a dry chuckle. "I thought the memory was removed."

"It was, until he broke out again. As his magic replaced mine, it brought the original memories back. Otherwise I might have been able to fight him." Harry looked at the dagger, still in his hand. "I agree with what he did, in principle. She needed to die, and I won't apologize for it. But I have that anger in me, that horrible person. The way he did it, that was wrong."

"It wasn't you," Minnie tried to comfort Harry, but he brushed her hands off.

"Don't you see?" Harry looked totally broken, even more than when his name had come out of the cup. "Ares is part of me. He amplifies the worse urges I have, but deep inside Harry, those same horrible feelings exist. As he tortured Bellatrix and I fought for control, I couldn't help but think that maybe I should give Ares total control and never come back. He would eliminate people like her."

"That is Ares talking," his grandmother tried to reassure him. "You will get through this."

"Accio watch!" Harry yelled and the watch jumped into his hand. Harry refastened the watch and reversed the dagger, holding it out hilt first to Minnie, who took it. "You don't understand. Ares is his own person, but he only exists because I created him. I have to contain him, and I can't risk him breaking loose here."

"Harry, what are you saying?" Minnie asked.

"Give the knife to Neville. Say it is the last revenge for Frank and Alice Longbottom. Tell them all that Bellatrix Lestrange will never torture another person. Tell Akira sorry for me. And…" Harry took a deep breath. "Maybe the magic of the cup will kill me. Minnie, I'm so sorry. But I can't do this anymore. Magic has brought me just as much pain and suffering as the muggle world. I would be fine with that. But now I am bringing the suffering and death to others. And I can't live with that. Know that I love you, and this isn't your fault." Harry gave a fake smile and then with a crackle of lightning Harry vanished.

"Where did he go?" Dumbledore cried, rushing over to the spot Harry had vanished. The transfiguration professor had collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. The headmaster stared at her in horror. "Where did he go?" He insisted.

"My grandson is gone, lost to us forever!" Minerva cried. "I could have forced him to name me champion, but I was scared. Scared people would know that I had a child. Scared people would judge me. And now I have lost him. I will never forgive myself that." She hauled herself to her feet. "But I can fulfill his last wishes."

As she walked into the great hall, she saw all eyes on her. A quick "Tempus" revealed that it was lunch time for many students. Ares must have tortured Bellatrix for at least a half hour if not more. Every eye was on her as she slowly walked to the Gryffindor table. She stopped behind Neville Longbottom and handed him the dagger.

"This is from Harry. He promised that Bellatrix Lestrange would never harm another person. He has asked me to give this to you as proof." Neville's eyes were wide with wonder as he reverently took the dagger.

"Where is Harry, professor?" Hermione asked. "Did he get hurt?"

"No," McGonagall said. "But he is gone."

"He disappeared again!" Cries of disbelief were echoed around the great hall. Some students looked totally crushed, but the primary reaction was stunned silence. The death of someone like Bellatrix Lestrange changed the world, and it now appeared like Harry was fleeing the scene of a horrendous crime. Revenge killing was punishable by time in Azkaban, but not in a blood duel to the death.

"Not this time," McGonagall explained, wiping away a fresh tear. "This time, Harry is gone for real. And I do not know where to find him."

"What about Professor Hayashi?" Cedric asked. "They are close, right?"

"Professor Hayashi was injured in the aftermath of the duel," McGonagall explained. "He will not be able to move for a week.

"Hmph. So we must drag him back," Fleur said with a sniff. Everyone turned to her in surprise. "Oh, you all give up on Harry Potter so easily?" More stunned silence met this statement.

"Of course not!" Hermione managed to say. "But if he flashed away, how can we find him?"

"Because Harry knows nothing of Veela," Fleur explained. "He did not know what he truly gave me when he gave me this," Fleur added as she fingered the stone around her neck. "Because many people have secrets of their person, but I hold the secrets of a great race. And because regardless of what Harry did, I know who he is. Perhaps better than anyone. And I will not let him escape me. Not now, not ever." And with those words Fleur grabbed the crystal around her neck and vanished in a ball of white-hot fire, leaving all behind in disbelief.

**Summary of Triggers**

**First: Harry's other personality Ares is released and starts to torture Bellatrix**

**Second: Ares continued to torture and threaten Bellatrix, but Draco surrenders to Dumbledore, ending the duel shields. However the professors cannot restrain Ares and as Akira tries to restore Harry's mind, he gets seriously wounded with a sword in his chest, and Harry regains control just as he kills Bellatrix.**


	49. Chapter 49

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: This felt like a companion piece to chapter 48, ergo why they were posted together. When I was rereading 48, it was a tough note to end on, so I took a little longer to finish this which will hopefully wash the bad taste out of your mouth. There will be a bit of a longer break until chapter 50. Last chapter and this chapter were hard to write.**

**I use some French in this chapter. I do NOT know French, so I used google translate. Sorry if I absolutely butcher the language. French in italics. Once again, to any French speakers, I am sorry.**

Chapter 49: Fleur's Dilemma

March, 1995

People did not truly understand Veela. Fleur realized that the moment Harry disappeared in January. Of course, most of the people had seen them kiss on the dance floor, though what Harry and her discussed after leaving the hall was a secret between the two of them. When their group of friends saw her kiss Harry after he gave her the necklace, they thought it was good natured teasing.

But it was anything but that. The word "mate" made Fleur feel a bit like a creature, and she knew that the English Ministry had laws that declared her a half-human. Something that made her less than any of the other girls Harry might form a relationship with, even Hermione who was muggle-born. All of that did nothing to change Fleur's feelings.

Regardless of how pejorative mate was as a term, it was accurate for two key reasons. These reasons were implicit to Veela biology, and very rarely shared to someone outside the Veela community, which grew smaller every year, with Veela leaving the shelter of a closed community to experience what the rest of the world had to offer.

The first reason mate was accurate was due to how Veela fall in love. While it was possible to fall for a man who was unable to resist allure, it was rare for that to be love. Instead, if a man was good enough but not a perfect match, some Veela was just ensnare the man and that would be the end of that. After the first child, the Veela would dictate the terms of the relationship. But Harry's unbelievable resistance to her allure was almost unheard of.

Her grandmother was a full-blooded Veela, but to call Fleur a quarter-Veela would be misleading. She was Veela, but the power of her Veela allure and ability to shift into Avian form was different from others. Her grandmother was more powerful and in-tune with her Veela abilities then anyone, but that did not mean Fleur was not powerful in her own right. While Gabrielle could already begin to form an Avian form, Fleur's allure was already on par with her mother and would have continued to grow if she had not met Harry.

Harry's resistance to allure was a good enough reason to consider him as a potential mate. It was biological, and had nothing to do with feelings, part of why Harry was a mate and not a boyfriend. And when Veela fell, they fell hard. But a man could resist allure and still be a horrible person. Fleur did not know what to expect from the green-eyed boy all those days ago when he had brushed her allure off like a fly buzzing around him all those days ago. Even Cedric and Victor stumbled a little bit when faced with the full power of her allure, despite the overall power weakening due to her feelings for Harry/

None of that was why Fleur was completely and totally in love with Harry. The resistance to allure was a jumping off point, something that made her interested. But since he could resist the allure, Fleur could let herself go around him. They could discuss anything, and Fleur relaxed more and more as she got to know Harry. His nobility, intelligence, and protective nature impressed her and triggered deeper feelings. His courage and steadfast determination to what was right and wrong was intoxicating.

He was not a little boy in any sense of the word. In fact, even when they first met Harry was not a little boy in any other sense than his physical stature. He had shot up like a devil's snare that had captured someone. Now he was a good two inches above her, the perfect height for Fleur to snuggle into his chest or rest her head on his shoulder. But he had faced things that Fleur could not imagine, a basilisk and over a hundred dementors. Every time, Harry dug into power and courage that no one could match and rose to the test.

But the second reason that mate was an appropriate term was how Fleur grasped her necklace and slipped through the Hogwarts wards. Later that week, Minerva would comment on that, stating to the other professors that for a place with impenetrable defenses Hogwarts had been breached a fair few times this year. Flitwick had responded with the nickname her had heard some students saying, "Hurricane Harry" which left a few teachers in stiches.

Harry did not know the real effect of the necklace her had given her. No one did. It was a thoughtful gift, and it showed Harry cared for her. It was far more than that. Fleur doubted Harry knew the connotations of a valuable gift. It was similar but different to normal relationships.

For normal wizards or even muggles, partners might exchange promise rings before they were of marrying age, promising to be with each other when they got older. The necklace Harry had gotten her was as good an engagement ring for Fleur. The significance would be lost on anyone who did not understand allure.

Fleur's passive allure was almost impossible to control and rarely diminished, but that could not ensnare strong willed men. But it still attracted idiots like the sixth year Ravenclaw Roger Davies or Harry's old friend Ron Weasley. But the stone Harry's had given her on the necklace reduced the pull of her allure naturally. That meant it was a gift for someone who no longer wanted you to attract other men. In other words, the actions of a lover, not a friend.

And as someone who was now essentially bound to Harry and had been given present of such significance, there were no wards or distance that could stop Fleur from chasing Harry, especially when her perfect partner's feelings were in flux. Soul bonds or nonsense such as that was not real, no matter how Fleur wished it could be. But Fleur was not an idiot, and could guess what Harry was feeling. Not why, but she would learn.

Unlike apparition, Fleur's stone could take her to her beloved, her perfect mate no matter the distance. She did not know why it had not worked during the winter. It was unlike anything she had ever heard or felt before, but Harry totally beyond her reach. But now the situation was changed, and she felt his presence, as far away as he was and behind the strength of powerful wards.

Fleur did not need permission to get to him. Wards were not too much an impediment. Unfortunately, Harry's newfound power to flash to different place seemed to be incredibly fast, almost instantaneous travel. It took time for her to latch onto Harry's signature and follow him. But after what felt like days knowing her love was hurting, Fleur landed somewhere entirely different.

To her surprise, her travel had been stopped by wards she now faced. They were truly impressive to stop her in her tracks. Part of her power had been stopped by getting through the impressive Hogwarts wards, and she suspected she was close to Harry. Fleur looked around and her breath was taken away. She was on a cliff overlooking the ocean, with a small city sparkling below as the sun began to descend from its zenith. She took a few minutes to appreciate the view. Then she cast her eyes around the cliffs, and saw a house atop the cliffs a little while away.

It was a tough hike, all uphill and with the wards pushing her back. As she neared the house, she felt the wards repelling her, until the pressure vanished and her travel became easier. She detoured from her original destination as she saw a familiar back hunched over the cliff. When she sat next to Harry the sun was on its way down, a stunningly gorgeous sunset.

"Where are we?" Fleur asked after a long but comfortable silence.

"The Amalfi coast, Italy," Harry told her.

"This is yours?"

"Yeah, my mother and father bought it before going into hiding. They actually designed the house, had it built. It was finished after they died, kept in stasis by Gringotts." Harry had his legs hung over the cliff and had them swinging randomly. "I visited it in February."

"It's stunning," Fleur added. "The view and the house."

"Yeah." Harry's face fell at the mention of that.

"I understand you are upset, I do," Fleur interjected. "But this is not a place to be sad."

"No, you don't understand, not really," Harry shot back heatedly. "I love it here. But like I said, it's a custom design."

"Is there something wrong with that?" The French witch asked. Harry looked like he was struggling for an answer. Fleur did not want to push him so she waited for Harry to continue, and he had to take a few heavy breathes.

"There are four bedrooms."

"What do you…" Fleur started, before trailing off, her eyes wide. She felt for Harry's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I always wanted a big family," Harry was holding back tears. "I guess my parents did too. That's why it is hard to come here. After the first time…" Harry trailed off. "It was stupid, but I figured if I could be sad about this, it would distract from the fight."

"You know I will not thing any less of you if you wish to show emotion," Fleur asserted. "I love you no matter what happened."

"Even if I tortured Bellatrix for no other reason than to cause her pain?"

"Well, I will love you until the day I die, but I would be curious. Did you did it, or was it the other soul in you?"

"What?" Harry whipped his head around, eyes blazing. "You knew about Ares?"

"I assumed you did too," Fleur responded, confusion in her eyes. "You mean to tell me you had a second soul in your body, and you only learned of him?"

"My masters removed the memory of him," Harry explained. "They probably didn't expect me to experience the emotions I did in that fight."

"What emotions?" Fleur inquired. "Who is the other soul, Harry?" Harry shook his head. Irritated, Fleur grabbed her beloved head and twisted it towards her. As Harry turned, Fleur leaned in and locked lips with him, trying to convey her love to Harry. It took a moment for Harry to respond, and it was far too hesitant for Fleur, who slid onto his lap, deepening the kiss.

Eventually she had to pause for breath but now that she was in Harry's lap, she had no intention of leaving. She swiveled, leaned back, and put her head on Harry's shoulder. She grabbed Harry's left arm and forced it around her stomach and Harry's right arm followed, cradling her to his chest. Fleur snuggled closer, amazed by how she felt. She had never felt so content, and although she wanted Harry to trust her and talk through his pain, there was a large part of her begging her mouth to stay shut and just enjoy the closeness of Harry, and try and take him to bed this night. But that was not what Harry needed, and soon her traitor mouth betrayed the rest of her body.

"What would you like to talk about first, _mon seul vrai amour_?" Harry twisted her around so she faced him and raised an eyebrow. "My only true love," Fleur explained. Harry gave that a laugh and lifted her out of his lap, causing Fleur to exclaim in sadness.

"You can have my lap back after we talk," Harry told her. "If you still want it."

"Oh Harry," Fleur just smiled. "Are you being obstinate on purpose?"

"Fine." This earned the first real smile that wasn't about her physical contact. "Well, I think more than almost anyone, we have talked about the future in a family way. Kids, marriage, Sirius and Akria, etc."

"Almost anyone?"

"Hermione." Fleur grimaced a little at that. "One of these days, if you really want to be with me, you are going to have to accept I don't see Hermione that way," Harry chided. "Some people say that close girl friends are like sisters, and I will never say that about Hermione. There is heat between us, and maybe there always be. But I will never light the fire."

"That doesn't mean that I can't be irrational about it."

"Fine," Harry said. "Regardless, you know I want a big family. At least three kids, and we have talked about how having a lot of kids isn't the easiest for Veela." Fleur nodded. "It's both funny and tragic that I wouldn't have needed to worry about that with no Voldemort. I feel like being a big brother is not a horrible test run for being a father. Instead I'll be muddling about with no idea. It's not like my male father figures know how to be a father either."

"Well, whether I am the mother of your children or not," Fleur told him, "I suspect that now that Sirius and Amelia will be getting married in the summer, he may try and have a child or two to continue the Black line. I'm sure you can play a part in their lives."

"If Sirius and Amelia do have children, it won't be because of the Black line," Harry countered, to which Fleur agreed. "But that would be a nice ancillary benefit."

"So Voldemort threatens any chance you have both as a child and as an adult. Tragic, but not worth running off to Italy for, especially if this is not a recent discovery.:"

"I would not call myself an adult-" Fleur placed a finger on his lips to silence her paramour.

"You should learn by now that beautiful women do not like being contradicted. You are the _le plus têtu_ man I have ever meant."

"You know that when you get emotional some French slips in," Harry observed.

"Well, if you weren't so stubborn I would be able to keep my cool," Fleur shot back.

"Fine, fine. This isn't worth fighting about. You are right," Harry conceded. "It's not why I ran to Italy. Though the sunset is certainly something." Fleur nodded and couldn't resist burying her head into Harry's shoulder. They simply sat there for a time as the sun sank to the horizon, coloring the sky with an orange red tinge that was simply delicious. Even the water off the coast, an incredibly clear blue when she arrived was now a darker hue.

"So would you like to talk about Bellatrix?" Fleur asked as the sun was now only peeking over the horizon.

"Would you run away with me?" Fleur gave Harry an incredulous look at that statement. "I mean it. I doubt anyone could find us without invitation. My family has property all on six continents, all with powerful wards that I could reinforce." The green eyed wizard seemed to be getting caught up in the idea as he talked. "We would find someone to break the contract off the cup, or even just go back for the third task. Disappear off the map, just live life."

"And start a family?" Fleur asked and Harry nodded timidly. "Harry, I can tell you without reservation I would love nothing more than to have you to myself for the next five years, and then only share you with our children." And as Fleur said that, her heart broke a little. Because it was a fantasy. One that she wanted to live in her imagination and then in her real life. If she said yes and took Harry to bed just for physical closeness, she had no doubt that they could indeed live out this crazy fantasy.

Fleur knew she could get lost in the fantasy and make it a reality so easily. She suspected that if she gave in to Harry's madcap idea, it would not be so crazy anymore. If the French witch truly believed in the idea, and devoted her heart and soul to the endeavor, it might actually work, and they could both truly find happiness in the most unlikely of ways. That both scared and excited her

But it wasn't fair to others. Fleur wanted Harry to herself more than anything she had ever wanted in her life. That was still possible in the future, even if she only had most of him. The Veela did not like settling for second and would not for Harry, but for someone like him she knew that with the combination of people who needed him, she might never have 50% even if she was number one in his heart.

She still needed to know. Before she threw it away, possibly for good. She loved Harry, and Fleur expected in time, especially if they were by themselves, Harry could grow to be fond of her, and perhaps even one day return the depth of her affection, as improbable as that was for the near future. But if she was to even consider the fantasy, she needed to know.

"Harry, I would love nothing more than to do that, as long as you occasionally allowed my family to meet me." Harry nodded vigorously. "But do you really want that?"

"Yes!" Harry replied vehemently. Then his face twisted in confusion. "I guess not." He rubbed his brow as it furrowed. "Maybe?"

"Those are your three choices," Fleur joked to him.

"Would I like to do that?" Harry said after a moment's contemplation. "I guess that I wouldn't cut too many people out, and the more people you include the harder it is to keep a secret. But I can't."

"I assumed so. That isn't truly who you are, and I don't think either of us would fully enjoy this if you couldn't be who you truly are."

"That's not what I meant," Harry explained. "There is a prophecy about me."

"Harry, please do not tell me you please in the charlatans who speak vague and half-truths," Fleur said with a laugh. But Harry looked serious.

"It is recorded in the hall of prophecies." That shut Fleur up. "I won't bother you with the details, because it doesn't matter. But it essentially says that if I don't stop Voldemort, no one can."

"Surely you don't believe that nonsense," Fleur cried as the color drained from her face.

"Not in the slightest," Harry denied, and Fleur almost slumped in relief. "But keep in mind that Voldemort has heard this prophecy, and he does. If there is a shred of truth, he could hunt me forever and unless I stop him he could cause irrevocable havoc."

"And Voldemort is not dead?" Fleur asked.

"No, he isn't," Harry told her. Fleur was surprised by the look in Harry's eye. It was equal parts surety, determination and anger. Anger she had rarely seen from him, even when he attacked Draco. "The mark grows darker every day. He will return somehow. Hopefully, it will give me the chance to end him once and for all."

"Then why do you feel bad about Bellatrix?" Fleur was reluctant to turn back to the main subject of the conversation as she knew that Harry would tense up again. "If Voldemort," Fleur shuddered a little at the name despite her best efforts not to "returned, she would kill people. Possibly hundreds in his name. I've read the records of the death eaters that spent time in France. If the Dark Lord's chief lieutenant is as vicious, she would be a monster."

"Oh, she is a monster," Harry confirmed. "I had a personal score to settle. Were you there when my grandmother gave Neville the dagger?"

"Your grandmother?" Then a light of realization flickered in Fleur's eyes. "Minerva is your grandmother."

"I call her Minnie," Harry said with an impish grin.

"Yes, I was there, but I did not understand the importance."

"One of Bellatrix's last victims was named Alice Longbottom. She and her husband Frank were Aurors, two very good ones. Bellatrix, and as it turns out, her husband and his brother, along with one other, tortured then into insanity."

"You wanted revenge for Neville's family," Fleur deduced.

"She wasn't just Neville's family," Harry admitted. "She was mine too. My mother was very close with Neville's mother, and Alice Longbottom was my godmother. Without Bellatrix, I would have grown up a Longbottom. I can't even imagine how my life would be different. I may be idealizing having a brother, and who knows how Neville and I would have turned out, but it can't possibly be worse."

"So Bellatrix got what she deserved."

"No." Harry looked down in shame. "No one deserved what I did to Bellatrix. I tortured her for fun."

"Did you, or did the other soul do it?" Harry looked at her curiously. "Harry, if my Veela allure attracts men, is it my fault?"

"Of course not," Harry told her soothingly. "It is part of who you are." Harry seemed to hear what he said and he laughed a little. "I hate you a little, you know that?"

"How so," Fleur asked, absolutely terrified.

"This was a wonderful opportunity to beat myself up for days and brood for at least a week, and you cut the legs out from under me."

"Good," Fleur claimed, her fear gone. "I like the Harry who lets me sit in his lap and kisses me anyways." Harry eyes seemed to shine a bit at the mention of that. "Now I must hold you to your promise." Fleur climbed back into his laps and soon enough she lay on top of him, her lips on his. One hand ran through his messy black hair while another slowly slid under his shirt.

"Fleur," Harry said, slightly breathless. "You have to stop…" Fleur gave him a questioning glance, her mouth still inches from his. "If you don't I don't know I will be able to stop myself."

"Stop yourself?" Fleur purred in his ear, and Harry groaned. Fleur could tell he was barely suppressing his desire. It was wonderful to have a man be totally and completely captivated by her and know it had nothing to do with her allure. Fleur had never felt more empowered in her life, and it was intoxicating. "Why would you do something like that?"

"Fleur." Harry tried to push her away, but it was half-hearted.

"Would it be so bad for something to happen?" Harry's eyes widened as Fleur began to tug at the hem of his shirt. Harry closed his eyes, still wide as saucers as Fleur leaned it to kiss him again. But this time she kissed the tip of his nose and then pulled back laughing. "Oh Harry. Fight a dragon, no problem. But a beautiful girl wants to give herself to you and all of the sudden you are effrayé."

"I'm not scared," Harry huffed. "I just, I mean, Aggh!" Harry pounded his fists into the ground. "You are impossible."

"I know," Fleur said with a toss of her hair and a smile that promised more. "Just know, _mon amor_, all you need is to be sure. Then I will be yours in every way."

"I thought I already had your heart," Harry quipped and received a punch in the shoulder. "Maybe we should be getting back."

"No," Fleur said. "We will stay here and share the bed."

"Hm?" Harry asked, his face turning red. "I thought we had come to an agreement."

"Just share the bed," Fleur said. "Nothing more. You are not ready and I will not push you."

"Thanks," Harry confessed. He did take her hand and led her back to his house. "One day though. Even for a short while. Even if we are not together like you want."

"Have no fear of that," Fleur said. "I know you do not feel the same way as I do. But as I said on New Year's. It will take time, but I will win you in the end. Tell me if it not working." Harry blushed harder than before and Fleur's laughter filled the cliffs. "Is it so hard to admit that you feel something more than friendship?"

When Harry awoke the next day, the first thing he felt was softness. For a moment he panicked at the golden hair across his chest, and he heard a sound of contentment from the other occupant of the bed. Smiling, he shook Fleur gently, but the French witch had no intention of getting up.

"The sun is not up yet," she protested as Harry rose from the bed. "You had a fight yesterday. You do not need to train today."

"If I never trained after I had a fight, I wouldn't get better," Harry explained as he pulled on some workout clothes and his trainers. "Akira will be in bed for a week. I'm responsible for myself."

"If you get up this early, we will never sleep in the same bed again."

"I just wanted to wake you because we will need to get back to Hogwarts sooner rather than later," Harry told Fleur. "Next time I'll let you sleep in.

"Oh?" Fleur was instantly awake. "So there will be a next time?"

"Honestly?" Fleur nodded, urging Harry on. "That was the best sleep I have had in a long time. Especially after the day I had yesterday, I expected nightmares." Fleur leant forward and gave Harry a teasing kiss and her heart fell light as a feather as Harry did not instantly draw back. "What did I do to be chained you?" Harry taunted but raced out the door before Fleur could rise.

"What did I do to be blessed with you?" Fleur murmured to herself as she lay back down into bed. "You all better thank me," Fleur told herself thinking of her friends in England eagerly waiting for Harry's return. For one final moment, Fleur took in the house and the bedroom she hoped she would one day be "their" bedroom. "One day," Fleur promised herself.


	50. Chapter 50

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: This is a bit of a breather chapter. 48 and 49 were pretty tense, so I'm doing something out of left field, just experimenting more than anything else.**

**The song's I imagined them playing are in order: Susan (Here Comes the Sun-The Beatles), Ensemble (Take 5-Dave Brubeck, Moanin-Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers), Ensemble plus Ginny (Don't Stop Me Now-Queen, Zombie-The Cranberries, Hey Jude [Shortened]-Beatles).**

**Look the dishes up if you are curious.**

Chapter 50: Hobbies

March, 1995

Susan thought the air was weirder than it had ever been before. Sure, the duel was over and Harry had returned a day later, seemingly no worse for wear. Akira was in the hospital but his recovery was going well. All the immediate tension that had been in the hall Monday afternoon had disappeared, and Professor McGonagall seemed recovered now that her grandson had returned.

Even though things seemed right, there was something in the air and the way people acted that gave off a feeling that Susan couldn't describe. It was like a piece of music that had a wrong cord in the middle. A beautiful piece that felt dissonant. But the idea of a music piece that sounded wrong gave Susan an idea, and day later a letter arrived from her aunt with a package attached, telling her niece that she thought it was a brilliant idea.

She waited until dinner Friday night before approaching her head of house to discuss her idea. Professor Sprout instantly gave her the go-ahead, and the moment dinner started to wrap up Flitwick took her package and with a wave of his wand the professor's table vanished. Some of the students looked up in surprise.

Susan looked at two people in particular. Harry and Neville had been near inseparable since Harry's return. Neville acted as a shield for Harry, warding off anyone wanting to speak to the green-eyed wizard the last week, even some of Harry's friends. The only people exempt from the treatment were Hermione and Fleur. Confronted by Hannah and Susan one night, Neville explained that while he could never thank Harry enough for ending the life of Bellatrix, it was cold-blooded murder and that Harry needed time to cope. He looked very lonely, but Susan knew that being lonely and being alone were two different things, and she was determined to let him know she was still there for him.

There was a spark of curiosity in Harry's eyes as he saw Professor Flitwick unwrap the package. Then the small item grew in size until a grand piano was on the dais. Most of the students recognized the piano, but there was still confusion. Susan smoothed out her robe as she sat on the bench Professor Sprout conjured for her after briefly conversing with the headmaster.

"Attention students!" Dumbledore called and the murmuring around the hall ceased instantly. "It has been a trying week in many respects, but we have gotten through it stronger. Ms. Bones has graciously offered to play a little music to get our weekend started on a good note. Ms. Bones, if you please?" Susan nodded and her fingers hovered above the piano.

Gently she tickled a few keys, before striking with more force and running the length of the ivory keys. Susan played a few simple cords, before moving up and down the keys easily, indicating years of experience. The tune flowed from her head onto the keys effortlessly. Susan had been playing classical music since she was eight, but the somber mood needed to be dispelled, so she had been playing some music her aunt had bought two years ago, by a band called the Beatles that Susan had enjoyed.

Susan knew that the song worked better as a band and with singing, but she only had two hands, was familiar with one instrument, and sounded like a dying animal if she sang, but she played confidently and happily. It was a few minutes until she finished and the crowd in front of her was cheering. Susan smiled and was about to close the keyboard when she saw the Weasley twins and their older brother climbing onto the makeshift stage.

"Nice song Susan," Charlie said. "Do you know how to read sheet music?" Susan nodded. "How's your improv?"

"Improv?"

"Improvisation," The twins said together, putting down two bags. From the bags one twin pulled out a trumpet, and the other pulled out a guitar. Behind them Susan saw Victor Krum holding a big bag, and he pulled a giant string instrument from it.

"Improv is key to jazz," Twin #1 said.

"You have to feel the music," Twin #2 added.

"They are right," Victor said as he adjusted the small toggles at the top of his instrument. "You can read the music, but sometimes you just have to cut loose."

"I can try," Susan said with a shy smile.

"Atta girl!" Charlie said, causing Susan to blush a little. Then Charlie pulled out a few small items and with a flick of his wand a full drum set appeared, causing Susan's eyes to widen. "What, you thought the Weasleys didn't listen to muggle music? It's ten times better than that awful Celestina Warbeck our mom plays."

"I'm surprised you play Jazz," Victor said.

"You kidding?" Twin #1 said.

"What else would we play? The Beatles are fine and all,"

"But they are no fun."

"Jazz is fun."

"Less rules," the twins finished together.

"Ok," Charlie said, smacking both of them over the back of the head. "Stop talking bad about the Beatles, or I'll make you play the entirety of Abby Road." The twins shut up at that threat. "Here you go, Miss Bones." Charlie gave her a few pages of paper. "Victor, do you know Dave Brubeck?"

"Take five, I assume," Victor stated confidently. "We need a sax though."

"If George can do it on trumpet, it could work. We'll ask around for next time," Charlie joked. "All right, on four. He counted silently with his fingers, and then smashed down on the drums before slowly the tempo and tempering his volume. Susan followed the sheet music in front of her, barely keeping up with the trumpet. It was almost like they were urging her on, playing a call and response, changing the tempo with no warning.

Susan was impressed with Charlie and Victor. She wasn't particularly surprised that Charlie could keep up, as it was clear the Weasley family had played together before. He seemed to be enjoying himself, eyes closed as he reacted to the twins. But it seemed as easy for Victor to keep up with them, subtly strumming his giant instrument to accompany her piano with a subtle baritone.

She couldn't identify when, but the music seemed to resonate in Susan's mind, and as the music went beyond the sheets Charlie had given her she started to flow, just finding the keys at the right times. Victor gave her a grin as he looked at her, starting to take control from her as she ran out of steam. They played more as time flowed by, before Charlie picked up the pace in a quick drum solo, before holding his sticks up in the air, stopping everyone.

"Easy transition," Charlie said, drawing his wand for a second and Susan saw the sheet music in front of her change, notes appearing just as she played them. The twins listened for a second as Susan played a few cords, and then started to play in between her cords. The song sounded familiar to Susan, more so than the last one, and then the drums and Victor's instrument, what Susan finally remembered as an upright bass came in.

The music went back to a call and response, before the trumpet took over, George's trumpet in what seemed like a duel with Fred on the guitar, and Susan heard the audience's appreciation of the more frantic music. Charlie took over as the trumpet faded away, raising and slowing the tempo at ease, using his entire group of drums a little more. Then even his drums slowed and lowered in volume, and she saw the rest of the members looked at her. Charlie raised an eyebrow and Susan took over, trying her best to vary the pace and chords, almost trying to trip the other members up, but they managed to track her key easy enough.

Then she sensed the force of Victor's bass start to take over and she returned to the accompanying tune. They played for another few minutes before Charlie stopped them again. There was a moment of silence before she saw all three remaining champions stand up from the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables and started a wave of clapping and cheering throughout the hall. The twin's strutted around the stage and even the normally stoic Victor looked pleased with the response.

"Want to end with some upbeat stuff?" Charlie asked Victor and Susan, who nodded. "Gin, get up here!" Susan saw the third year Gryffindor looking petrified. "Come on Gin!" She stayed totally still. "Ginny, Ginny," Charlie started chanting, until half of the hall was calling for her. Susan saw the young girl gather her courage and she climbed up on stage with them.

"Victor, can you imitate a bass guitar?" Victor screwed up his face. "George, you are up on guitar. Victor, just support him." George pulled a guitar from his bag and put away his trumpet. "Susan, do you know Queen?"

"Queen?"

"Oh," Victor said. "That's pretty ambitious. Sure your little sister can do it?" Victor asked with a teasing tone.

"What do you think Gin?" George said as he tuned his guitar.

"Can you handle it?" Fred countered as he strummed his guitar in excitement.

"Oh, I can handle it," Ginny almost growled. "We can't exactly give me a microphone though."

"I might be able to help," Dumbledore said with a smile. Susan turned to him and saw him give a wave of his wand. "Try that."

"Hello?" Ginny said, her voice reverberating around the hall. It was certainly louder, but not so loud to overshadow the instruments or disturb the audience. Charlie placed another few sheets of music in front of Susan. "Ok. Let's do this."

"Ready?" Charlie asked Susan. "Ok. Gin, start us off. Don't stop me now." Ginny took a deep breath, and then started to sing.

"Tonight, I'm going to have myself a real good time," Ginny started, Susan accompanying her with the piano. Susan was a little worried about the youngest member of their makeshift band. But as soon as Ginny started to sing the nerves went from her face. "Floating around in ecstasy." Susan looked down and saw a dramatic change in her cords.

"Don't. Stop. Me. Now." Ginny grinned at the rest of her family, who readied their instruments. "Don't stop me now. Because I'm having a good time, having a good time!" The rest of the instruments came in as Ginny finished the line. "I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky, like the tiger, defying the laws of gra-vi-ty," drawing out the last syllables. Ginny picked up the speed and Susan followed as the Weasley family was clearly familiar with this song.

Ginny commanded the hall as she belted out the song, and Susan recognized the lyrics and her cords. She had heard it a few times before, and the Hufflepuff realized that she had not recognized it because Ginny was putting her own spin on the lyrics, almost a key lower than the famous band. Freddie Mercury was the singer Susan realized as Ginny went up a key.

"Don't stop me now." The twins sang, although their voices did not have the same command as Ginny, who immediately responded "I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball." The twins chimed in again, "if you want to have a good time, give me a call." After one more repetition from the twins Ginny took over completely.

"Yes I'm having a good time, I don't want to stop at all!" Ginny was now walking around the stage, commanding attention with her strut and direct eye contact with various members of the crowd. "I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars, on a collision course." Now Ginny sounded identical to the famous singer. She stumbled over the sex machine, muttering those lyrics so that only the band could hear those lyrics, but then picked right up again with "oh, oh, oh, oh explode yeah!"

Susan started humming along with Ginny as she started to add a little more urgency and volume to the piano, but not enough to overtake Ginny, who was clearly enjoying herself now, caught up in the music. "I wanna make a supersonic woman of you." She seemed to take a deep breath and started to clap, the crowd following along.

"Don't stop me, don't stop me," The twins started to sing. And then Ginny gave Fred a thumbs up, and he took over on his guitar. He was good, Susan realized. Really good. He had hung back during the jazz songs, but he was an excellent guitar player as he let Ginny catch her breath, his solo going on much longer than the original song.

"Burning through the sky, yeah. 200 degrees, that's why they call Ms. Fahrenheit. I'm traveling at the speed of light!" Ginny stepped forward again and Fred patted her on the back as he gave Ginny center stage. Susan was so wrapped up in the music she couldn't even hear the crowd. Susan had never truly played in an ensemble, and this was more fun than she had ever had playing music. "Yes I'm having a good time, I don't want to stop at all!" Ginny ended, the music cutting off instantly.

If the crowd was loud before as the champions led the applause, this time it was overwhelming, with no need for anyone to break the silence. Every student and even most of the teachers were whistling and clapping loudly. Ginny looked flushed as she saw the crowd explode, and the twins moved behind her, offering encouragement.

"I need a bit of a break," Susan admitted.

"Sounds good, but you aren't done just yet, are you?" Charlie said with a laugh as Susan shook her head. "We'll take one then as a family. Victor, do you know The Cranberries?"

"No, but I need a break too. I'm not really a rock person, so I'll bow out

"We'll play a session again soon. As much jazz as you want," Charlie promised

"Definitely. I wouldn't miss it." Victor gave an unreserved smile as he left the stage to applause.

"Ok, Susan, we'll take this one. Fred, take it away." Taking the instruction from his older brother Fred started playing, heavy and powerful cords. It took almost a minute before Ginny stepped forward her head down a little.

"Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken. The violence caused silence who are we mistaken." Her voice was softer now, but still easy to hear over the drums, with Charlie taking the lead. But after another few bars, Ginny picked her head up. "In your head, In your head, Zombie, Zombie Zombie eh eh!" Ginny took the lead, her voice going up a few levels in volume and Susan just leaned back in admiration at the young girl's courage and general respect for the range the Weasley family had.

The song ended with another long instrumental, George and Fred playing a little bit of call and response with their guitars. Charlie ended with a quick drum solo and the crowd started cheering again. "Alright, one more Susan?" Charlie asked. "Let's end on the Beatles, in honor of Susan. That should be fun." George and Fred stared to protest, but a glare from Charlie shut them up. "One for all the muggleborn. Susan, do you know Hey Jude?"

"Who doesn't know Hey Jude?" Susan scoffed.

"Probably most of the crowd," Charlie pointed out. Susan nodded ruefully. Then she had a realization.

"Oh, Ginny, you should take piano then."

"What?" Ginny was flustered by that statement. "I can't play piano."

"Susan, you can sing along," Fred suggested.

"Absolutely not," Susan stated. "I don't want to end on such a sour note."

"Pun intended?" George asked.

"No," Susan quipped. "Happy accident. Still, I won't sing."

"Just play a little, and Ginny can match up with your speed and tone. Ok?" Susan nodded and played a few bars.

"After this, you guys will have to explain how you got such eclectic music taste."

"Like Charlie said, Celestina Warbeck is horrible. Dad bought a record player."

"Fascination with muggles, so he buys all their stuff," Fred added. "We have a few records, and Bill and Charlie travel an awful lot. So they'll bring stuff and soon enough we decided we should learn to play. Driving mum up the wall was a bonus."

"The last song we played was a record I bought less than a year ago," Charlie said. "We though it rocked." He turned to Ginny and raised an eyebrow. She nodded, but there was hesitation. "Remember, if you make a mistake, just stay confident. No one will know. Gin lead us in."

"Hey Jude," Ginny started, Susan accompanying her on the piano. "Don't make it bad. Take a sad song, and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better." Charlie and George came in on that as Ginny continued singing the iconic song, and Susan say a few muggleborn students nodding their heads.

"For well you know that it's a fool, who plays it cool by making his world a little colder. Na-na-na, na, na. Na-na-na, na." Ginny was still hesitant, but Susan was unsure if that was due to the different music style or her hesitance with the band overall. Remember to let her into your heart

Then you can start to make it better."

"Better Better Better Better Better Better" Charlie and Ginny sang in concert before Ginny went up two octaves to end with the "Ahhhhh!"

"Na, na, na, na-na-na na, Na-na-na na, hey Jude. Na, na, na, na-na-na na Na-na-na na, hey Jude." The Weasley's sang in concert, though Ginny was the loudest voice. Then she was singing alone, accompanied only by the drums. The twins drew their wands from their custom wand holders given over Christmas from Harry and with a few quick movements the chorus from the song appeared in the air. George returned to his guitar but Fred had the words move as they sang them.

"Na, na, na, na-na-na na (yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah). Na-na-na na, hey Jude," Ginny sang as the crowd joined in. "You know you can make it," she added, getting into the swing of things

"Hogwarts, I can't hear you!" Charlie yelled and the noise intensified. "Na, na, na, na-na-na na

Na-na-na na, hey Jude." "Hey Jude," Ginny continued "Jude, Jude, ahhhh!"

"One more time" Charlie called and the crowd responded. "And again!" "Na, na, na, na-na-na na

Na-na-na na, hey Jude." "Bring it home!" The band leader called and with one more chorus. A few people expected the song to go on, but Charlie drew a hand across his drums and the music stopped.

The crowd definitely appreciated the last song and as the twins put their instruments down and joined hands with their siblings, Susan applauded along with the crowd. Charlie was having none of that and pulled Susan into line as they all bowed to the chorus of "Encore!" and "Bravo!" Charlie beckoned Victor up stage and one more cheer rang out as he joined them in line.

"Thank you. We are the Weasleys, Susan Bones, and Victor Krum. Thank you and good night!" Charlie called and the crowd cheered one more time. Slowly the great hall started to empty and Susan looked at the two Gryffindors she had done all of this for. She saw Hannah snuggled into Neville's chest, the two lovestruck fourth years staring at each other, hearts in their eyes. Meanwhile, the Gryffindor champion turned as he left the hall with Hermione in tow and gave her a smile that meant the world to Susan."

"That was some great stuff Ginny," Victor told her. "You have an excellent voice." Ginny couldn't even meet the eye of the famous seeker, and Susan held back a laugh. The age difference would have been laughable if Krum was actively involved with someone in Ginny's year.

The next day everyone noticed Dean, Harry and Neville crouched around the corner of the Gryffindor table over breakfast. Lavender and Hannah had come over and were summarily dismissed by their respective boyfriends, leading to even more speculation. Breakfast concluded and people left to start their weekend but still the band of fourth year Gryffindors remained. As Cedric and Jason were leaving the hall, they were dragged into the group.

"What could Harry be up to?" Fleur whispered to Hermione. "He looked like he was conspiring with your yearmates."

"He dragged my ex-boyfriend and his best friend in too," Hermione whispered back.

"Oh?" Fleur's response was a little louder and drew a burning glare from Madam Pince. "It should be exciting. Harry looked much more alive this morning."

"Yeah, I noticed," Hermione agreed. "The concert was certainly a nice way to kick off the weekend, like the headmaster said."

"Indeed, and although it was surprising how it all ended up, I think the appropriate recipients were cheered up. They certainly looked better." Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Oh Hermione, playing dumb does not become you. We all ended up enjoying it, but Susan certainly showed her Slytherin last night. She did not expect the Weasleys or Krum to join her, but once she did she adapted wonderfully."

"What does that have to do with appropriate recipients?"

"There have been two boys, one who Susan admires and potentially would like to date, and another her best friend is head over heels for. Unfortunately for her, the boy she would like to date is mine," Fleur added with a growl. "But were those not two of the boys who looked like they had a new lease on life?" Once Fleur pointed it out, Hermione could only quietly agree before returning to work.

After lunch the group in the library expanded to include Lavender, Victor and Luna, and of one the twins. Lavender and Hermione were hard at work on a transfiguration essay, Fleur had some charms work to complete. The twin wearing the F Weasley jumper but who said he was George was perusing some potion books and Victor and Luna were snuggling up together and being not all that productive.

Hermione had noticed that all of her friends were starting to join relationships, herself included. While they varied in seriousness, she was surprised to see Victor and Luna being so adorable. Luna clearly felt safe with Victor in a way that even Harry could not inspire, and Victor was incredibly smitten with the young Ravenclaw. It was becoming unusual to see one without the other, to the point where the Durmstrang students had moved to the Hufflepuff table and Luna had been dragged along to the new table every meal with Victor daring anyone to make a complaint or face his wand. Drag along might be the wrong word, Hermione admitted as it was not that like Luna was displeased with her new seating arrangement.

"Victor is going to teach me to play his instrument," Luna claimed, making everyone look up. Madam Pince's glare was met by a steely look from Victor, and Madam Pince gave an insulted hmph but returned to the desk.

"My moonlight, perhaps you should choose something else? It is on the large side." Victor noted. Hermione saw Lavender fake gagging at the nickname, but Hermione though it was sweet.

"Oh, you don't love me anymore?" Luna asked with a pout and puppy dog eyes. Hermione had seen it anytime Victor disagreed with Luna. She would ask that same question and give him the same look. Whenever the relationship between the seeker and the quirky third year came up with their friends, Luna's essential bullying of Krum came up. It was almost unfair how Luna could get anything she wanted with that look. Hermione would expect that if Luna used her tactics, she could probably get one of Krum's kidneys. In all honesty, as long as she used that look she might be able to get both.

"Anything for you," Victor said with a resigned sigh. In the end he got what he wanted too as Luna leaned up and kissed him gently. The deal worked well for both of them.

"My ladies, my gentlemen," Jason said from behind them. "Please do not tarry to dinner tonight."

"What?" Lavender asked.

"Please sit at your assigned tables, except for Ms. Lovegood, Mr. Krum, and Ms. Delacour." Jason looked down at a sheet of paper. "Ms. Lovegood… I can't read this blasted handwriting. Hermione?" Jason handed over the sheet of paper and Hermione recognized Harry's handwriting.

"Luna and Victor, you are with Hufflepuff." Hermione finally said after she managed to make out the chicken scratch.

"We always are," Victor pointed out.

"Fleur, you are with us at Gryffindor," Hermione said. "Jason, what is Harry up to?"

"Hold on," Jason said closing his eyes, muttering to himself. "Got it. Mr. Potter would like to showcase some of his art tonight in appreciation for the performance last night. The Gryffindor table and Hufflepuff table should arrive no later than 5:45."

"Harry does art and music?" Fleur asked.

"To my knowledge, not a lick," Jason said. "And neither do I, Cedric or Neville. Dean's an artist, but not tonight. Well I guess tonight there is some art. Regardless, it's a different kind of art. Trust me, you don't want to miss it. And only those tables. According to Harry, Slytherin's are thugs in green and Ravenclaw are bullies in blue, and he only has so much time. To be honest, Cedric, Neville and I are just there for moral support. Dean and Harry are doing most of the work."

Jason refused to answer any more questions and essentially bolted out of the library. Apparently, Cedric had spread the word as well and the dining room was packed, even the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables even though every message had specifically pointed out they did not need to be there.

"What is going on?" A third year Gryffindor asked. All of the sudden a house elf popped onto the table, giving the nearby students a scare. He was smiling and wearing a bizarre tunic and two socks of different colors.

"Good evening. I is Dobby, and I will be your waiter tonight."

"Dobby?" Hermione asked The elf smiled at her. "You are at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I am now with the Castle."

"You know an elf?" Fleur asked.

"Harry does," Hermione explained. "Long story. Ask him about it later."

"You be the great Harry Potter's Grangy?"

"I guess," Hermione responded.

"The bestest news," Dobby said. He handed Hermione a paper. "Please share with your friends. I must return." Across the hall the twins saw another house elf on the Hufflepuff table.

"This is from Harry," Hermione said, and the entire table quieted. "Yesterday we were gifted with something amazing for our ears. While I would not demean anyone to listen to my attempt at music or art, I believe that Dean and I can try to recreate a different type of art for a different sense: something amazing for your taste buds. Tap your wand." Hermione tapped her wand and the paper split into around 50 pieces and soon everyone was holding an identical piece of paper in front of them.

"Is this a menu?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"A what?" Lavender asked.

"At muggle restaurants, they give you a menu, and you can order specific dishes. Oh look! At the bottom it says circle your choice and fold the paper. Wow, some of these options are amazing. And so much variety!"

The courses were labeled appetizer, main, and desert. Next to each option there was a little three word abbreviation that Hermione explained was the country the dish was from, after seeing JAP next to sushi. There was also a list of ingredients, and Hermione heard similar sounds of surprise coming from the Hufflepuff table while the Ravenclaw and Slytherin students started to mutter angrily.

"I have to say Harry and Dean are amazing," Neville said. Across the hall Hermione saw Cedric and Jason sitting down at the Hufflepuff table as well.

"Neville!" Lavender exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"Slaving away in the kitchen," Neville replied. "Harry and Dean are doing the cooking, but they said they needed someone to peel the potatoes. I thought it was a figure of speech, but I was literally peeling potatoes for hours."

"So they are actually cooking?" Fleur clarified.

"Yeah, after breakfast Harry flashed us to London. Apparently muggles have these places called giant market."

"Do you mean supermarkets?" Hermione corrected.

"Oh yeah. He did call them that." Neville shook his head. "It was amazing. We went to this one called Tesco and shopped for a few hours. It was all so cheap, and there was every food imaginable. It must be an amazing monument to food."

"Neville, there are at least 1000 Tesco's in the U.K." Hermione told him.

"No way," Neville replied. "That must be one of a kind." Hermione shook her head. "You are having me on." Again Hermione shook her head, but Neville was unwilling to be swayed.

"Tell us about the dishes!" Angelina Johnson, Harry's quidditch teammate and a sixth year Gryffindor complained.

"Right. So starting with the appetizers. You can have kimchi, from Korea. Harry is making that one. There is also sushi, from Japan, also by Harry. Sliders, which are kind of mini burgers are from Dean. They were made popular in America. Then there is Caesar salad, which Head Chef Harry and Sou Chef Dean are at odds as to where it is from, but they settled on Italy. That is being made by the elves."

"What elves?" Hermione asked.

"The Hogwarts elves," Neville said, a little surprised by the question.

"Hogwarts has house elves?" Hermione seemed appalled.

"At least 100," Neville said. "Bound to the castle. Hermione, how do you think food gets made, laundry done, or the castle cleaned?" The bushy haired Gryffindor looked scandalized at the idea. "Regardless, Harry and Dean were prepping so fast I think it is best to look at the ingredients to decide what you want, but I liked the look of those sliders."

"Mini hamburgers?" A 5th year asked.

"Yep," Neville said. "Once you make your decision, just circle it and fold your paper and your decision will be transmitted to the kitchen, and it will be out pretty quickly. Harry and Dean are super fast."

"Why is Harry the Head Chef?" Fred asked.

"He made the menu, so apparently he gets to be Head Chef. Dean wanted Harry to be Head Chef. You know Harry, they spent 10 minutes arguing about it until we took a vote. Harry lost, so he has to be Head Chef. Ok, should we move on to main courses and deserts. I had to shop for a bunch of the indigents, so I know more about those." The table urged him on. Neville glanced up at the head table and saw menu's being distributed there as well. "Oh he decided to offer to the professors too."

"He really isn't doing Slytherin or Ravenclaw?"

"Nope, and since Beauxbatons is with Ravenclaw they are out too." Neville shrugged. "Dean agreed with him. When they get dug in on something, they are impossible to budge, both of them. When the chefs explained their reasoning, I didn't disagree too much. But I digress. The main courses."

"You can get a Primo. There we have Spaghetti with Harry's special sauce, which seemed to be tomatoes, mushrooms, and some secret spices. That's an Italian dish. You can get Red Wine Risotto. It's essentially a creamy version of rice. Dean's in charge of that. It's another Italian dish. There is also Udon, which is a kind of soup from Japan which Harry is making. Finally, in honor of our Durmstrang visitors, there is Tzatziki, but Harry and Dean had never made that before and Harry didn't seem excited about making it so unless you love that I wouldn't recommend it."

"If you prefer meat, instead of Primo, you can get Carne, which a meat course. That is not the real name so Harry and Dean argued about it because traditionally you get both Primo and a meat dish in an Italian meal, but since this is not a three hour dinner all the dishes are not Italian and they are not using the real names it became a little more options but not as much work for them. Most of the Carne is cooked by Harry, except the first."

"The aptly named Carne Asada is Dean's dish. It is grilled steak with some varied vegetables and Dean's special meat spice mix. I would recommend it highly, but I'm a carnivore at heart. That's a traditional Mexican dish. Harry is making the other unique dishes. First, in case you don't want to explore, you can have bangers and mash. Pretty standards, and given the options, pretty lame, which the elves will take care of. The other two look really good. I would highly recommend Harry's chicken parmigiana. It's an Italian dish of breaded chicken breast, marinara sauce, and cheese. Apparently Harry's specialty is Italian food. The final option is Souzoukaklia, which is grilled beef skewers with vegetables, a Greek dish. Sorry Fleur, but neither of them know how to cook French food and decide to avoid it rather than butcher it."

"If you are still hungry, which I doubt you will be as the portions are pretty big, you can a second main course. I'd suspect the better choice would be to order deserts. Dean is making the deserts with the elves assisting. That's really all I can say. I'm hungry, so I'm putting in my orders now." There was buzz all around the table as people discussed options. Fleur saw the traditional English foods appear on the Ravenclaw and Slytherin table, which was eaten angrily.

"They made English food for the other tables?" Hermione asked.

"No," Neville said. "The elves did."

"What?"

"Hermione, I have never had to explain anything to you multiple times. This is setting a bad precedent." Neville saw the look in Hermione's eyes and sighed. "Lots of elves work at Hogwarts, bonded to the castle. They do the cooking almost every day. The other food is because this is a special occasion, Harry and Dean's thank you for Susan, Victor, and the Weasley's performance. In case you didn't notice, that is Gryffindor, Durmstrang, and Hufflepuff." Everyone looked at Neville. "My gran says never look a gift horse in the mouth. I will just happily have this gift meal."

Eventually choices were made and papers folded. It only took a few minutes for dishes to start appearing in front of people. No matter the course, the general opinion was that Dean and Harry were miracle workers, and chefs on par with the elves, which still had Hermione fuming. Quite a few people were having half a dish, and then swapping with a nearby friend. As Neville had predicted, the sliders were a hit, but Harry's kimchi was only slightly less popular.

The Weasley twins were some of the first to finish, and with a glance at each other they stuffed their menus in their pocket and snuck out of the hall. It only took a few minutes to reach the entrance to the kitchen and tickle the pear. The door swung open and Fred and George by a sight they had never seen before. Harry was in front of some stoves and Dean across from him with an equal amount of stoves.

"Two chicken parmigiana and two carne asada, Hufflepuff." An elf called from the middle of the room.

"Si, va bene!" Harry and Dean yelled, and a few elves followed suit. Harry and Dean were moving at speeds so fast it made it hard for the twins to see clearly. The elves seemed to be in charge of handling the ingredients and putting them on a table in between Harry and Dean, but all the cooking was done by the two Gryffindors. Harry was literally a blur of movement. One moment there were the indigents on the table, and next two pans had the dishes in them.

"Hello fearless leader," George commented. Harry looked up for a second and smiled, before he responded to another order from Dobby. "Can we help?

"Yeah," Harry said as he started a spaghetti. "Get out of my kitchen." The twins looked hurt at that. "Don't take it personally guys. But we are busy, and I don't have time to teach you."

"What's the time on the Souzoukaklia for the three Durmstrang?" An elf called. Harry swore vociferously.

"Two minutes!" He turned back to his stoves, stirring some of the pans. Dean hadn't even notice the twins, only turning away from his stoves to deal with ingredients. Fred and George left the kitchen and found their seats again, and quietly selected their orders. Some people were complaining about the time it took, and anyone near the twins that did that was quickly and forceful reprimanded. With the twins urging, the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team joined the group crackdown on complainers.

The two most popular dishes for main courses were Dean's risotto and Harry's chicken parmigiana. Almost all of the Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Beauxbatons students had stalked out of the hall as soon as they finished eating. After the main course, quite a few students were near full but still excited. Neville described that Harry was doing a mixed berry salad, assisted by elves. The two real deserts were tiramisu and cheesecake, both by Dean.

Despite their sated hunger, many students had at least part of one desert, not wanting the culinary journey to end. As the students trailed back their houses, quite a few Hufflepuff and Durmstrang students decided to wait a little bit outside the Gryffindor dorms to give personal thanks to Harry and Dean. When neither of them showed up in 30 minutes, the non-Gryffindor students exacted promises to give their compliments to the chefs to the lions and left.

The clock hit 12 but still the boys had not returned. Eventually the Gryffindors who had planned to throw a party gave up hope. Even though the next day ended up being fairly normal, the weekend was remembered as one of best weekend of the year, and potentially even in Hogwarts history, discounting quidditch of course.


	51. Chapter 51

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N:. Wow, the response to the last chapter was the most negative yet, which is a good thing! While I will not deviate in regards to the story I am telling, how I tell it is something that is constantly changing. This is not becoming a crackfic or a songfic as one comment said, but apparently taking breather chapters and doing other stuff should be left for oneshots. If something is bothering you, please comment! If you have made it all the way here and are enjoying (for the most part), let me know what you think.**

**Our story is not exactly close to the end to the end, but I have it all figured out. The end of this chapter is effectively the beginning of the 3****rd**** to last serious arc, so the drama, stakes, and action will start to ratchet up.**

Chapter 51: The Pen is Not Mightier

March, 1995

"Thank you for coming Harry." Harry slouched in the chair in front of Dumbledore's chair. Luckily his brother had not accompanied him as he was still in the infirmary. Professor Hayashi would resume teaching the next week and would be fully recuperated soon after that. Dumbledore was still amazed at his recovery powers, and even the fact that he survived what would have been a mortal injury to other wizards was a testament to his physical, magical, and mental strength. It was also a ringing endorsement of Poppy Pomfrey, who Albus believed did not get enough credit.

"No problem Albus," Harry replied. Then his eyes flickered to the eyes of Severus, standing behind the desk. "Why is Professor Snape here?"

"You brat," Snape snarled.

"Oh don't tell me you were interested in that madwoman," Harry responded, icy-cool. "I'm not a fan of how I disposed of her, but the end result was more than deserved. Besides, I got the answers I was looking for."

"Answers, Harry?"

"Albus, even your potions professor has the courtesy not to act so familiar with me. We are not friends, not anymore. So please."

"I am sorry you feel that way, Mr. Potter." The last two words felt wrong on his tongue. "But we have a few things to discuss before you explain what your most vitriol against me is driven by."

"No need," Harry said. "Does SPT to APWBD, 1980 mean anything to you?" Both teachers' faces took on worried looks. "Does that make my anger towards you clearer?" Harry scrunched his brow up. "No, not anger. More like indifference. You exist in my life, and when you do good things I am happy, just like I will be mad or angry when you do bad things. But I will not go out of my way to help or harm you."

"Will you not allow myself to explain myself to you?" Albus asked. Harry seemed to be considering his statement.

"Well, I recently heard the prophecy so I'm in no mood for explanations right now," Harry admitted. "Feel free to check in before the end of the year."

"You heard the prophecy?" Albus was horrified. What would his one-time protégé's reaction be to that? He felt his schemes on a knife's edge of failure.

"It's supposedly about me. I just flashed in and took it," Harry said with a laugh. "Security at the ministry is a joke. Sounded pretty ridiculous. I guess Voldemort must have taken divination when he was here."

"Divination is a very real discipline. I urge you not to ignore it." Dumbledore implored.

"Well it doesn't matter, as no one else will know the prophecy unless you or I tell someone."

"Why is that?"

"I smashed it," Harry said with a casual air. "I wasn't a fan." Harry saw Snape turn a little green and debated skimming his mind with his newly developed legilimency. But he suspected that the greasy git would be quite an accomplished Occlumens and Harry did not want his mind open to a potential counter attack, not after he so effectively neutered Snape earlier in the year.

"That was reckless Harry," Dumbledore chided. Inside he was a mess of conflicting feelings. He was elated that Harry had not flown into a rage after hearing the prophecy and that Voldemort would never learn the contents, but when he returned it would be a useful lure for the dark lord when he returned and would diminish the effectiveness of Snape in Voldemort's inner circle.

"Whatever," Harry responded. "Do you want to get to the real reason I am here?"

"Yes, the dinner last night," Dumbledore explained. "I did not know you and Dean were such excellent cooks."

"Years and years of practice," Harry countered. "You should know, right? Seeing as how my letter was address to the cupboard under the stairs."

"You should have offered the food to all the students," Dumbledore said, breezing past Harry's statement.

"Hmmmm… No." It was clear Harry had not actually been contemplating doing it. His fake hesitation sent Snape over the edge.

"Just like your father. An arrogant attention seeking brat," Snape spat.

"I'd take that as a compliment, seeing as he stole my mother from you, Severus," Harry replied coolly. Snape stiffened at that. "Oh yes. Remus told me all about it. Lily Evans, driven away by your pettiness and lack of character. Want to insult someone else and call them mudblood today? Your godson can't anymore." Snape was in the process of drawing his wand but stopped as he found Harry's aimed between his eyes. "Too slow. Please, give me a reason."

"Harry! There is no reason for this!" Harry glared at Dumbledore. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter. Severus has my trust. You should not antagonize him so."

"Out of respect for you, headmaster," Harry slipped his wand back into his holster on his hip. "I may not like you too much at the moment, but I still respect you."

"Thank you for that courtesy." Harry inclined his head in a small nod. "Harry, you understand there will be negative repercussions to your divisive actions.

"I should hope so," Harry told him. "I'm trying my best to get some type of reaction. Nevertheless, I thank you for the warning. I'll keep an eye out."

"It was not a warning, you petulant brat," Snape snarled. "Don't do it again."

"Oh, you don't seem to be understanding." Harry stood and stared down the potions master. "Dumbledore may give me advice, but if I don't take orders from him, you can be sure that I will never take orders from you." Magical auras started to flicker in the office. "Oh, do you think you are stronger than Bellatrix? I'm allowed to lay my hands on you."

"You arrogant-"

"Severus!" Dumbledore yelled. "Mr. Potter, you are dismissed."

"Thank you." Harry stopped at the edge of the steps. "I would like to give you a warning as well. The fact that Ravenclaw was not served and that Miss Lovegood was at another table was a message. They might not receive it well. I'd keep an eye on Mr. Krum. He is one ill-timed comment about his girlfriend from exploding."

"Would you be able to stop him and keep him cool?"

"I could, yes," Harry stated slowly. "But will I? I think if Victor decided to take decisive action, I am more likely to be the person holding his cape to make sure it does not get covered in blood.." Harry gave a smirk and disappeared down the stairs.

"He's worse than his father," Severus spat.

"That may be," Dumbledore said, "but we must be wary, lest he fall from the light. Now that he knows the prophecy, we will need to figure out new plans."

Dumbledore had tried the rest of the day to come up with a resolution to his new problem, but had been unsuccessful. Now as Dumbledore read the paper Monday morning it took all of his considerable self-control to not slam his head into the table. Regardless of the week there was always something, one day a week that shot everything to hell in a way that had never been present before. Sometimes every day was its own struggle. He had been thrilled by the unity and ingenuity shown by the students to lift the malaise and negative feelings after Harry/Ares slaughtered Bellatrix. Then Harry decided to exclude half the school from his culinary masterpiece, and the conversation they had Sunday afternoon had been far from pleasant. Now it seems the school's attitude had taken a decidedly negative turn.

Dumbledore was looking down from the head table and he saw Krum's shoulders tighten as one of his schoolmates held out of paper. The Bulgarian seeker grabbed the paper with uncharacteristic force and his hands started to tremble as he read. Light pulses of magic seemed to radiate and solidify around him as he read. Dumbledore saw Cedric reach for a paper, blanch at the title article and rush over to Krum.

"Victor, take a breath," Cedric said putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's just words. Luna won't be bothered."

"She is an evil girl, contorting me for her own horrible gain?" Victor hissed. "Dark magic? Crazy?"

"Victor, Luna wouldn't want you getting into a fight about this," Daphne remarked. Victor's face went ashen.

"She wouldn't?" Victor stood, his visage barely hiding vengeance. "Luna has never been later to breakfast than me. Not once, in the four months I have known her. Now she is late? On this day?" There was nothing anyone could say to that, as it was true. "Harry took his stand. It seems I have found my line in the sand too."

Across the hall at the Gryffindor table Harry raised an eyebrow as he saw Krum stalk up to the teacher table. He elbowed Neville who glared at Harry as the elbow caused him to dunk his sleeve in his oatmeal.

"What is so urgent I can't eat breakfast?" Neville snapped.

"Take a breath," Harry advised, and Neville complied. "Better?"

"Rough session with Akira last night," Neville explained and Harry nodded sagely. "He wanted to test if he is back to full strength."

"And is he?" Harry asked, his eyes still on Victor, who seemed to be talking to Flitwick.

"I could barely get out of bed this morning," Neville said. "He wants to spar with you tomorrow." Harry laughed a little.

"Hey Nev, Victor looks like he is about to hit Flitwick." Victor was now wildly gesticulating and seemed to be working himself into a fury.

"I'm not surprised," Dean added, sitting down across from them.

"Victor is fairly even-keeled," Harry started, but was cut off as Dean handed him the paper. His eyes caught the title. The name by the by-line gave him a pause. Rita Skeeter was never good news. Harry didn't read the paper too much. In fact, he had cancelled his subscription after the newspaper had accused Fleur of using her allure on the cup in December.

"Yes, but even you would be mad if the love of your life was attacked in a newspaper," Dean replied. The title stood out. Mad Little Girl Turning Victor Krum Mad. Harry paled.

"It's about Luna?" Dean nodded in response to Harry's question. "I didn't know it was that serious."

"It's pretty funny," Dean chuckled. "Krum doesn't actually like us all that much. He likes and respects you, and is ok with Cedric and Fleur. He puts up with people like me, Hermione, and Daphne because he doesn't want to jeopardize his friendship with you three. But when you played dead and missing he got super close to Luna."

"Why is that funny?" Harry inquired.

"Same thing with Luna. She likes us ok, but she trusted you because you don't have nargles, or something like that. You make her feel safe. Krum makes her feel safe and after two months without you, loved and treasured." Dean shook his head.

"Yeah, she and Krum have basically become inseparable. Don't be surprised if soon enough they come to you to have private conversations about how they are in love with their partner, but are worried the other person doesn't feel the same," Neville told him, and Dean snickered.

"Sounds remotely funny, but this isn't," Harry commented, rising from his chair. He could feel Victor's magic building as he turned and walked to the Ravenclaw table. "This is very bad."

Victor stopped behind the man Flitwick had identified as Marcus Turner, a 7th year prefect and his friend Ella Lane, a 7th year prefect and the Head Girl for the year. They seemed to feel his presence and turn. Marcus seemed to sneer, while Ella just looked curious. Victor stood there in silence and soon the entire Hall had eyes on the growing confrontation.

"Can we help you?" Ella asked.

"You and your friend are the 7th year prefects of Ravenclaw house, da?" Anyone who knew Victor cringed. When Bulgarian slipped out when he was speaking English, it meant he was about to blow his top.

"We are," Marcus turned and met Krum's eyes. "What is it to you?"

"I would like to speak to you two alone in the hall," Victor managed to get out through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry?"

"I am asking nicely at the request of your head of house and out of respect. I will not ask again."

"I do not think you understand English manners just yet," the male prefect responded turning back to the table. Victor just smiled with madness in his eyes, and Harry's eyes widened as he saw Victor gather magic around his fist. He didn't know Victor could manipulate his magic into physical form like that. Idly Harry wondered if Karkaroff had taught Victor that or if he learned on his own as he rushed towards the Ravenclaw table.

_BANG!_ The Ravenclaw table crumbled as Krum smashed his fist in between the two seventh year prefects, the entire side of the table near the head table smashing to the ground. Every eye was now on Victor, who seemed to be wreathed in very visible magic, his magic flaring red.

"Outside. NOW!" Victor barked. The two 6th year prefects across the tables started to rise, but an iron grip and unfathomable strength from a hand on each shoulder kept them glued to their seat.

"How about we let them have a private conversation?" Harry murmured quietly. One turned to look at him, her eyes baleful, but Harry didn't flinch. "If we want you can go join them, but then I might decide to go to, and maybe take Cedric with me. How would that sound?" She shook her head and turned back to breakfast. Harry smirked, but he kept his hands on their shoulders with just enough pressure to restrict movement until the two 7th years were out of the hall. As the door shut behind them Harry remained next to them, but removed his hand. He snapped his wand out of the holsters and spun it around his fingers idlily.

The hall was deadly quiet for a minute before the door reopened to admit the three 7th years. Krum had an arm around Luna, who must have appeared while the Bulgarian was dressing down the Ravenclaw prefects. They stopped at the head of the table and Krum looked at them expectantly.

"Attention, all Ravenclaws. We will be having a house meeting tonight at 8pm. Attendance will be taken. If you are not there you will get," the head girl stopped and looked up at Flitwick, who nodded, "two weeks detention with Mr. Filch." The entire hall gasped at the potential punishment for missing a meeting. Harry smiled returned to the Gryffindor table, and only a few people seemed to notice his presence, all eyes still on the diminutive Ravenclaw and the boy wrapped around her finger.

"I don't think Victor needed your help," Dean pointed out.

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Harry said. "But I figured two bodies was better than four."

"Do you think he might have actually killed them?" Dean asked. Everyone around them looked horrified by how casual Dean was. Harry himself was a little surprised. Even he wasn't blasé about death, and he had killed multiple people. Dean had really become a bit of an oddball since Christmas, and Harry could tell Lavender was annoyed by it.

"Unlikely," Harry said and a few people let out a sigh of relieve. Harry rolled his eyes to Dean who grinned. Victor wasn't going to kill them regardless. Harry hoped Dean had been doing a bit, because the other possible reason Dean was totally relaxed in the face of potential death was worrying. "You can't learn a lesson or keep your house in line if you are dead."

"That's what he is doing?" Lavender asked.

"I'd imagine," Harry said, scanning the article. "It says that multiple students spoke to Skeeter, and I'd assume they were Ravenclaw students. Though," Harry continued as he scrunched his brow "I have no idea how they spoke to her. Regardless, after Victor's talk, I'd suspect the 7th year prefects will have a talk with the house about talking to the press. I don't know them, but I don't think Lane is a bad person. At least I hope she isn't. Victor wasn't kidding when he said he was asking nicely. He is much stronger than I thought.

"Yeah, how did he crack the table like that?" Hermione asked.

"Condensed and focused magic," Harry guessed. "It has different names and forms. I call it physical magic, but the concept is the same." Every eye on the table first through seventh year was now on him. He stopped eating and looked up. "What?"

"You know what he did?" George asked.

"Can you teach us?" Fred asked. Harry assumed the twin with an F on his jumper was Fred, but who knew anymore?

"It's not hard," Harry told them. Everyone leaned in. "Not hard to learn the theory, that is. I'm not much a teacher though. Actually executing it, especially with power like Victor is not easy."

"You taught every student here for an hour a week ago," Lavender pointed out.

"That was a one-time thing," Harry explained, and a few students groaned in disappointment. Apparently people had suspected that Harry would do some more teaching in the future, something he had little to no interest in. "Besides, I don't have time to teach everyone one hour a day for a few months to learn what Victor did. I am in an extremely dangerous tournament after all."

"How did you learn?" George persisted.

"Is there a guide in the library?" Fred asked.

"One we could use?" The twins asked in concert.

"Stop doing that," Harry grunted, but the twins just looked eager. "There might be. You'd be best served asking Akira next time you have defense." A few blank faced met his. "Sorry, Professor Hayashi." Now there was recognition. "Heck, Neville could teach you soon enough."

"Hey!" Neville cried as every eye turned to him. "As I understand it, redirecting, refining and condensing magic into physical form is a key component of magical martial arts, but I'm nowhere near strong enough yet." The faces all turned back towards Harry.

"We have a half hour before class," George commented.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," Fred added.

"Is it cold outside?" Harry desperately asked Neville.

"We still ran this morning."

"Fine." Harry stood and strode out of the hall. Fred and George saluted and were right behind him and soon a small circle stood around Harry outside the castle. Harry looked around to make sure he had not picked up any stragglers. The Gryffindor Quidditch team was there, as were his year mates and friends in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Hannah had been sitting with Neville this morning, so she must have gotten Susan and Daphne. Astoria had tried to follow her sister, but Harry had put his foot down at third year and over.

"This is ridiculous," Harry tried, but no one was moved. "Ok, understand this is the very basics. This is just a jumping off point."

"Sorry I'm late," Cedric said, rushing up to the group panting. Harry glared at him, and saw Fleur was right behind him. "Oh c'mon. I'm not going to miss out on another Harry Potter lesson."

"You can't ask Victor?" Harry pleaded.

"He said ask you," Cedric said. "Then I saw everyone following you."

"I hate all of you," Harry muttered. "Ok, very basic instructions it is. Everyone, even muggles, have the ability to do magic. Muggles simply don't have enough to do meaningful magic, let alone control it. But stories of mothers lifting cars off babies, of amazing feats that normal people could never do? It's unproven, but some wizards have the theory that is accidental magic."

"Magical people have more than enough to focus the power and do something called spells, which we all know. To use a spell you need a wand, a focus, movements and an incantation. Let me ask you a question then. What is silent magic?" Everyone looked stumped. "Why bother with an incantation if you don't need it? For the same reason we use wands," Harry continued on explaining. "It focuses your magic and gives it a clear command. But the magic is still there. It's harder to control without a wand but right now magical energy is flowing in all of us. But it is very dangerous to do try and use physical magic without extensive training. That is essentially pushing magic into your body without a clear command or directive."

"You are all somewhat familiar with magical exhaustion?" The crowd collectively nodded. "Because you have cast spells and know what the drain of using your magic feels like when it leaves your wand in the form of a spell. Condensing your magic and using it physically is an entirely different feeling. It's the same reason wandless magic can be so dangerous. Doing this can exhaust your body and magic at the same time, which is why it is so dangerous."

"But Professor Hayashi has been teaching us!" Angelina complained.

"And what spells have you attempted with wandless magic?" Harry countered. "Anything beyond first year spells?" This cowed the chaser. "Because you understand magical exhaustion, and you can feel it. Just like physical exhaustion. You are familiar with it. But not exhaustion through wandless magic, and that can burn through you."

"Physical magic is different. If you use it improperly or don't know your strengths it takes a real toll on your body, instead of your magic. Bones can break, muscles can snap, and you dig into something you can't get back. When you use physical magic, the price is high for a misstep."

"If you get magically exhausted, your physical strength can pick up the slack for a little while, but using too much magic can kill you. Total physical exhaustion can't kill you, but if you remember the fight by the lake, I was so exhausted I fell asleep in the middle of the battle. If you are using magic to amplify your physical skills, the next thing it saps at with exhaustion is your life. My body sensed the risk and literally shut down, despite the fact I was fighting for my life. If you aren't experienced and don't recognize the signs of exhaustion, you'll die. The risk is real, and I am more experienced than most. I would hesitate to use it constantly, so you should all be very careful" The crowd exhaled at that revelation.

"So why risk it?" Neville asked the question on everyone's mind. "If it is so dangerous."

"You saw what Victor did. If he attempted to break a table with just his normal physical strength, the only thing that would break would be the bones in his hand. Besides-" Harry said and then vanished, "when you do it at a high level and with control, it is a powerful tool in your arsenal in a fight." Everyone turned and saw Harry sitting on a rock 30 feet behind them.

"What was that?" Cedric managed to ask after a shocked silence.

"I condensed magic in my legs and used it to increase my speed," Harry said. "I intentionally left heavy footprints so you could follow my movement." Everyone saw shoeprints in the grass from the spot Harry had been standing to the spot the fourth-year seeker was now sitting. They were around 50 feet apart, apparently covered in the time it took to blink. Apprehension was still rife through the crowd, but Harry saw a few people were now even more interested than before.

"You need to be careful. If you can see the magic, it means you are probably burning your life force, especially without training like Victor and myself. This technique is really only useful for fighting, and hopefully none of you will ever be forced into a fight for your life. I'd practice meditation and make sure you can sense other people's magic entirely before even attempting it. There is an incantation and some wand work, but I'm not going to tell you that. I won't have any of your deaths on my conscience." That sobered everyone and they slowly started walking back to the castle as it became clear the lecture was over.

Harry shook his head ruefully, until he saw Neville was still standing there. He cocked his head at his best mate who was staring at him confused. Harry sat back on the rock, waiting for Neville to speak. It took a few minutes, but finally Neville mustered up his courage.

"Are you sure about all that, Harry?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well…it's nothing," Neville managed to stammer.

"Nev, if you have something on your mind spit it out," Harry half demanded.

"I don't think your explanation was right," Neville finally answered. Harry raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I have only gone over the basic principles, so I probably need a refresher."

"What were you told?" Harry wanted to know.

"Well, what Victor did wasn't physical magic, like you used," Neville stated. Harry stayed silent. "Victor just physically reinforced himself, but that is not what you did. It's not impossible to make magic take a physical form to do something. I mean, I suppose you could use magic to create just about anything, so why can't it encase your hand? But that's not what you did."

"What's more, I was under the impression that it has nothing to do with sensing other people's magic. It's about being in complete control of your own, to move it around." Neville was becoming more animated. "In fact, I thought that when you were using it at a high level, it wouldn't be visible. Even if Victor was using physical magic, and I don't think he was, then your level was much higher."

"Huh." Harry clapped a little. "I didn't know your tutelage had gone so far. Maybe you will be ready for physical magic sooner than I thought."

"Wait, what?"

"You were right," Harry explained. "Well, almost right. Krum was using physical magic, he just is pretty clumsy at it, and could probably not have fired a spell for a little while. That's why I went over to help him."

"And you used magic to increase your speed to get over to the Ravenclaw table, like you did right now," Neville pointed out.

"Got it in one," Harry said as he grinned. "Yes, using it without any trace is the trick. Besides, once you learn the incantation and use it a few times, you don't need it. It's a technique made for silent and wandless casting when you get the hang of it. You didn't see Victor use a wand, did you?" Neville shook his head. "A lot of what I said wasn't true. I figure it is better that I lead people in a goose chase that will lead to them giving up rather than having people hurt themselves trying. I wasn't kidding about the risks."

"Harry!" Neville was appalled. "What if they get hurt?"

"They won't" Harry responded. "There are no books in Hogwarts, and if they bug Akira he'll rebuff them. Most of them will not attempt it without a teacher, and even if they keep trying it will not result it anything. The worst that will happen is some broken bones from punching walls."

"You deliberately misled them?" Neville's shock did not abate.

"That's about it," Harry agreed. "If you bought it, so should they."

"But if it's so dangerous, why am I going to learn it?" Neville asked. Harry glanced around and then Neville saw Harry almost blur, but he still managed to get up a cross-arm block to catch Harry's kick. He swayed back at the following double legged hammer kick and slipped under the following punch and threw his own punch out of reflex. Harry deflected the punch with a push kick and then Neville felt a heavy impact and rolled back to dampen the force of the blow, instantly flipped to his feet as he completed the roll.

"Because you can do that," Harry whispered, and Neville realized Harry was right behind him. Neville whipped around in a ready position but Harry raised his hands and Neville relaxed his guard. "If you screw up, your body won't break down. Your physical abilities are already strong enough to be pushed to the limits. No one else is. The only other way to make sure it goes smoothly if there is a miscast is to have ironclad focus and self-control."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"Wandless magic requires much of the same thing," Harry told him. "This all ends of blending together. The second step is sapping your physical attributes to fuel magic, but for someone who is not in superb shape, that could be much more dangerous."

"Could you just blend it all?" Neville asked as they walked back. Harry laughed a little. "What?"

"Nev, what you just described is the third step." Harry slung an arm around Neville. "My master tried to teach me the basics so I could attempt it. I passed out from the strain and couldn't move for a day. I'm a little better at it now. The duel with Bellatrix was a real life-or-death situation, and those tend to dramatically improve my skills." Harry let go of Neville and motioned for him to move back.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't tell anyone," Harry said, and Neville nodded. Then he felt a weird tingling and as he looked at Harry he felt an overwhelming fear and despair. Harry seemed to fold into himself and then he leapt. The height seemed impossible, but Harry had soared a few hundred feet in the air Neville was barely able to follow Harry as he fell at a high speed and as Harry landed the impact felt like an earthquake, knocking Neville to the ground.

Neville accepted Harry's hand up and stared at the spot Harry had landed. There was a 20-foot giant crater in the ground, with a deep indentation at the exact spot Harry had landed. Some people would be underwhelmed, but Neville knew from his sparring sessions that the precision Harry showed with his technique would be deadly.

"That was seismic step?"

"No, that was the true seismic step," Harry said. He looked a little winded. "Wow, that still takes a lot of out of me. I guess I am skipping class today." Harry lay down on the grass. "Akira will be mad. He keeps saying I need to create a semblance of normalcy by occasionally going to class."

'True seismic step." Neville's voice was flat. "Harry, that caused an earthquake I bet Hogwarts felt."

"Well, if people start coming out of the castle to investigate while you walk back, give me a holler and I'll disappear. Regular seismic step just lets me land and is a little flashy. True seismic step is an explosion of magic to gain the height, then concentrating every ounce of physical magic into one point to speed your descent which will break every shield in your way, magical or otherwise and break your opponent's body into tiny pieces.

"It's that tiring?" Neville asked. Harry did look weak as he had ever seen.

"Yes, but I could make it to class," Harry admitted. "I just don't want to, and this gives you an excuse when Akira asks why I'm not there so he won't yell at me." Harry waved lazily as Neville headed off. "Was it right to lie to Neville too?" Harry muttered to himself after his year mate was back in the castle.

What he told Neville was not the same bald-faced lie that he told everyone else. Seismic step was so deadly when his master used it because he concentrated his lightning magic into the landing, which he had seen literally fry someone alive, and they were not alive for long. His "true seismic step" was a pale imitation and yet another technique borrowed from his master. Only when he awakened his own specialty magic would he be able to start creating anything "true."

He had felt something call out to him after killing Bellatrix, and then later that week after returning in Defense on Friday he felt the same peculiar feeling. If it had not been for the events of the weekend, Harry might have focused on trying to isolate the feeling and start to focus it, to get closer to his own specialty magic. But Harry was mentally drained, to the point where even meditation sounded like a drag. It was a little cold, but then again Scotland always was and it was a beautiful day. Harry put out a few monitoring charms with the last of his strength and then curled up to sleep overlooking the lake.

Most of the people who had watched and listened to Harry in the morning managed to put his talk out of their minds by dinner, but for two people what Harry said about fighting for your life rang in their head over and over. Harry managed to put in an appearance at dinner, but seeing him so visibly exhausted convinced the two girls in their course of action. So when Fleur and Hermione left dinner, they headed straight for the office to Professor Flitwick.

"Miss Delacour and Miss Granger?" Professor Flitwick said from his desk as he lowered his wand which he had used to unlock the door. "I did not know you two were close."

"Close is a stretch," Hermione said.

"More like united in concern for a special young man," Fleur clarified. "He is important to both of us, so I'd say we are friendly, maybe even friends. But not close." Hermione agreed with the assessment.

"Very well. If this is about charms, I have nothing but glowing reviews from your headmistress Miss Delacour and Miss Granger's last essay was perfect. Might I safely assume this meeting had nothing to do with that topic?"

"After seeing what Krum did this morning, Harry tried to explain what he did to us," Fleur started to explain. "It was confusing, and what's more, seemed like it required a lot of work. It is something it would takes months to learn, if we were lucky. Harry can't teach us because he is exhausted by his own training."

"And you would like my help learning this?" Flitwick asked, clearly intrigued.

"No," Hermione fiercely replied, talking the diminutive professor back with the vehemence of her response. "Even if we learn that, we will be nowhere near Harry's level. But you were a dueling champion in the past. We were hoping…we were wondering…that is, if you have enough time-"

"Please train us." Fleur cut Hermione off. "We need to get stronger."

"Oh?" Flitwick raised an eyebrow. "From my understanding, you two are in a unique position, where if you asked Harry to train you, he would be inclined to say yes."

"We talked about it, but we came up with a problem. Harry would be in a difficult position."

"Hermione, be more direct," Fleur urged the younger girl. "It would be a waste of his time. We aren't anywhere near his level, and from the trouble he always seems to find himself in, he needs to be training at the highest possible level. It's probably why he is so tired as often as he is. We need more basic instruction."

"I might take you up on this," Flitwick concluded after a maddeningly long pause. "I had hoped that the dueling club would be brought back this year, with myself as one of the teachers" The half goblin nodded to himself. "I would not be averse to helping you two. But I would require something in return." The girls looked at him curiously. "Nothing sinister. I will undertake this venture. But you need to promise me that you understand."

"Understand what?" They asked in concert. Filius chuckled a bit.

"Understand that despite all your training, you will never catch Harry. You will grow in battle strength and application of combat spells, but Harry is different."

"Harry is a powerful wizard, but he is not beyond the reach of hard work," Hermione countered, but Fleur looked at the half-goblin professor curiously.

"Normally, you might be correct," Flitwick said. "But two things count against you. First of all, Harry had a head start. He is already significantly more powerful and versatile than both of you. Fleur, you have seen him a few times when the pressure is on. Even back in November, when he saved you and Miss Bones, it was clear that he had gone far outside the school curriculum to gain strength. The headmaster is worried he may be going dark, and while I don't agree I do see his point."

"Harry isn't dark!" Hermione yelled.

"No, but his skills and strength mean he is dangerous," Flitwick responded, and all three people were silent for a moment.

"And we could not counter that non-magical strength with magic?" Fleur guessed.

"Perhaps. But that gets us to the second reason," Filius said, leaning forward. "Harry is a genius." Hermione scoffed at that. "Oh, you don't believe me?"

"Harry is a better student this year, but certainly not a genius," Hermione answered.

"Ah Miss Granger, you are misunderstanding," Filius clarified. "By genius, I do not mean an excellent writer of essay, or competent researcher. Most of us, myself included would be classified as normal. There are variations in strength, but we get to where we are in life due to hard work, practice, and study. There is no shame in that."

"Then there are prodigies. They vary in strength, but Mr. Thomas is an example of a particularly powerful one."

"Dean?" Hermione asked, a little stunned.

"Yes," Flitwick told her. "I watched him and Harry spar last week. Mr. Thomas had the makings of a world-class auror or hit wizard in the future, though it seems like a poor career choice for him. But his ability to perceive spells and redirect them is already nearing mastery level, even if his other skills are fairly low. Prodigies excel in one thing, usually to the detriment of other skills. But even Dumbledore will be behind Mr. Thomas in spell redirection in ten, or perhaps even five years. That is his talent."

"What about genius," Fleur asked. "What is Harry?"

"Geniuses are few and far between," Filius said. "In regards to what they might learn at Hogwarts, they soak in magic and techniques like a sponge. They are the first to use spells effectively. They have an innate knowledge that makes it easier for them to perform any task they set their mind to. For Harry, his genius is focused around spellcasting and fighting. Professor Hayashi was his trainer at the beginning of the year. In just seven months, Harry has become the more powerful than his former mentor. A fight between geniuses is something I have only seen once, and I was not able to even begin to understand how the two were fighting. It was like trying to play music without knowing any notes. Harry shows that skill now."

"What was the fight?"

"Dumbledore versus He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and it was fantastic and terrifying at the same time." Filius explained. "Harry is not at their level, nowhere close magically. But due to his other talents, I would not bet against him in a fight against anyone who is not enshrined in legend. So while you would grow in strength in tutelage, you cannot match a hardworking genius like Harry. Genius is quite unique." Filius's eyes seemed to be looking far into the distance and he chuckled "I have been a teacher at this school for more than 20 years, but I believe this is the first time three geniuses have been present."

"Dumbledore and Harry I get," Fleur confessed, "but who is the third?"

"The power is still unknown and growing, so I will not say," Filius said. "It would not be fair, since the wizard or witch in question is holding back, afraid that if their true power was revealed, friends would desert them. I do not think it to be true, but that is just my opinion and I will respect their wishes by keeping the identity a secret. They may not know themsevles."

"Shame," Fleur said with a sly smile. "But you will train us?" Flitwick gave her a steady look. He saw the determination in the eyes of the two girls. He gave them a slow nod. To his surprise, there was no exclamation of excitement or glee. The two students in front of him looked driven.

"Very well. Wands at the ready."


	52. Chapter 52

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

Chapter 52: Traps from the Mind of Charlie Weasley

March, 1995

"The play's the thing wherein we will catch the conscience of the king." Fred repeated. Charlie nodded

"What does that mean?" George chimed in.

"Sounds like nonsense," the twins said collectively.

"Maybe, if you two managed to be quiet for just a moment and listen, I'd be able to explain it," Charlie managed to get out between clenched teeth. The twins looked at each other for a moment and then seemed to come to a decision. They turned to Charlie and gave him a twin smile. Charlie groaned a little. He was not averse to teaching and had no regrets about joining the Hogwarts staff for this short sojourn, but students like the twins drove him up the walls. One more pair of students who spoke in concert and he would be willing to fly his broom all the way back to Romania.

"Look, I get a lot of time at night," Charlie explained. "Some of the other wranglers are muggleborn or have a muggle parent. They have recommended some stuff to me. One such thing is this English Muggle Shakespeare. He wrote a lot of plays."

"Uh, ok?" Fred said.

"What does that have to do with us?" George added.

"I'm sure there is something else you can do with all your free time at night," Fred said with a grin. The twins looked at each other and started laughing.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," Charlie said after the twins laughed a little. "But most dragon wranglers are solitary by nature, so we do a lot of reading. Besides, the job is exhausting more than not. Hiding from dragons while being a few hundred feet away while they are feeding can be mentally exhausting."

"Sorry," Fred apologized, and he even seemed a little contrite. "So what does all of this have to do with plays?"

"The idea behind the quote is what's important," Charlie asserted. "You guys know why I'm here?"

"To make sure people stop trying to kill Harry," George responded.

"That was the original intent, but if Harry has shown anything over the past few months, the best way to protect Harry is to stay out of his way," Charlie admitted, and the twins nodded in assent. "I'm not even in his league anymore. When he gets going he's the veritable unstoppable force. But that doesn't mean I can't help him."

"So what have you been doing, oh wise and powerful dragon wrangler?" Fred asked. Charlie shook his head a bit, and wondered if the twins would ever stop taking turns to speak.

"Investigating," Charlie told them. "Someone has sabotaged two tasks."

"To try and kill Harry, we know," George countered.

"We helped save him the second time after you helped the first," Fred added. Charlie glared at them. "Oh, we know Harry wanted to keep his involvement in putting down a rogue dragon, but at this point who cares?"

"Fair point." Charlie couldn't disagree with their argument. Sure, Charlie and Krum had not spread the story of what had happened under the dome Dumbledore had constructed to hold the dragon. That did not mean that people had not drawn their own conclusions. Especially with Harry fighting assassins semi-regularly and then ending the life of the Dark Lord's most dangerous servant.

"So, who is trying to kill Harry?" The twins asked in concert.

"Actually," Charlie paused for dramatic effect, "no one."

"What?"

"I thought so too, and was set out to investigate all of this, but it wasn't until Harry was kidnapped that I realized something," Charlie started. "When the dragon got loose, it could have attacked anyone. Harry just happened to draw its attention with his escape strategy. The second task the attack was aimed at all the other champions. Remember, Harry barely arrived in time, and getting the Ramora into the lake took time, resources, and planning.. I used Dumbledore's pensieve, a devise to view memories, to watch the aftermath of the second task."

"We were there," Fred responded.

"Yes, but the attackers were not there to attack Harry. They wanted the death of a champion, any champion. Only Harry and Akira's quick thinking stopped the attack after the task, but I think that Harry is not actually the target."

"That's quite a claim," George said.

"I know," Charlie muttered. "Dumbledore, McGonagall, heck even Moody disagree. But ask yourself this. Why would Harry be taken alive and somehow get back here right as rain two months later? Why was the only attack outside the tasks an attack where he wasn't killed?"

"So someone is trying to take him alive? And kill one of the other champions?"

"And it doesn't seem to matter which champion. The spell that allowed the dragon to break free wasn't actually intended for the horntail. If my investigation was correct, the chain was supposed to break earlier. But Fleur's dragon never truly strained against the chain, so it broke later than expected."

"That's…" Fred trailed off.

"Actually well thought out," George completed the thought.

"Yeah, well that's the easy part," Charlie explained. "I'm still here to protect Harry, and I have a theory about what happened in January that I haven't shared." Charlie took a deep breath. "The two attacks are entirely unrelated." The twins shook their head. "Now, there is nothing I can do about that. People way beyond me are involved in investigating that. But we can investigate the sabotage of the tasks, and that is where the quote comes in."

"How?"

"I have been playing defense," Charlie answered. "In the play, the quote is used to show that we can be on the attack, but still set traps. Force our opponent to make themselves known by pretending we know who they are. It is a complicated plan, but I can't pull it off on my own." The twins looked at each other. "Can I count on you two to be serious?"

"We got your back," George said, and Charlie smiled. He would never rely on his brothers when it came to preparing lunch, but when it came to protecting his back, there was no one he would rely on more. Family always came through for family, even a family as crazy as the Weasleys.

"So tell us the plan," Fred said.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

"So you believe you have identified the culprits behind the chain breaking in the first task?" Dumbledore asked Charlie at the staff meeting. Charlie had been informed recently that Dumbledore was an accomplished legilimens and had avoided serious eye contact since then.

"Not entirely," Charlie explained. "But I have an idea of how to find out. I am going to conduct an experiment on the chain in the quidditch stadium tomorrow night. There is a dragon wrangler who figured out how to tell what spell was used on the chain."

"That will only tell the spell," Moody snarled. "That's nowhere near enough information."

"Potter probably broke the chain," Snape spat.

"Severus," Dumbledore exhaled heavily. Sometimes, Severus's anger and blindness towards Harry was downright exhausting. "There is no proof of that. It seems highly unlikely."

"Harry didn't do it," Akira confirmed. "Besides, he was in the tent until his dragon came out. Charlie confirmed that the chain was supposed to break with the Chinese Fireball, but Fleur's unconventional tactics of making it sleep made it break one task later."

"Exactly," Charlie said.

"So Potter was trying to take out the competition, and he screwed up," Snape shot back angrily. "He's so inept-" Dumbledore barely saw the movement, but Snape landed heavily on the far and Akira was in his place, arm extended, fist clinched.

"I've warned you a few times," Akira drawled, taking a deep breath. "That's enough out of you."

"Professor Hayashi, we have spoken about this," Dumbledore chided. "Please stay civil around Professor Snape, despite your differences."

"This man is a monster, and if my brother were not locked in this tournament I would have taken him to Japan, despite any objections." Akira stared Dumbledore down, as if begging the old man to try to read his mind. Dumbledore turned away sadly. "That's what I thought."

"Can we get back on topic?" Charlie said mildly. The other professors agreed, and Dumbledore happily allowed the subject to change. Snape slowly got to his feet, blood dripping from his nose, glaring at Akira, but Charlie honestly didn't care. He had suffered through Snape as well. "No matter who broke the chain, we can learn a lot about it. The dragon wrangler's solution is a potion that after being applied will provide the spell, the strength, and the magical signature of the person who cast the spell."

"That's… quite useful," Flitwick admitted. "This dragon wrangler is quite the impressive potions talent." Snape just sneered.

"Yeah, she grew up in Brazil, is a pit of potions prodigy. She likes dragons well enough, but likes the solitude of the profession and being away from home. A lot of us do." A few staff members, remembering the many howlers of Molly Weasley gave simple nods. "Anyways, I'd like to ask that you keep people away from the chain for a day to allow the potion to work. It needs 24 hours, and I'll put it on tonight."

"Alastor, can you provide security?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm working with the DMLE to keep the Asian ministry off our back about how Harry got taken," Moody relayed.

"I was actually thinking of using some other security," Charlie said with a small smile. "I'll take care of it myself, and then if we could use your expertise and experience, you might very well recognize the magical signature, Headmaster."

"Of course," Dumbledore said.

"Classes tomorrow," McGonagall said, glancing at her watch. The teachers slowly filed out of the headmaster's office, until only the head of Slytherin, the dragon tamer, and the Headmaster remained.

"Does he need to be here?" Charlie asked, indicating Snape, who still looked a little bruised.

"Severus has my trust," Dumbledore said, for what felt like the millionths time this year. He would not lay all the blame at Harry's feet, the boy's changes over the summer certainly meant Dumbledore had to justify everything he did more this year than he ever had in the past.

"Fine," Charlie said. "But this all stays between us?" Dumbledore gave Snape a glance, and the potions teacher nodded. "My brothers were spreading some tales about how the teachers have discovered a way to figure out how the ramora got into the lake, and how they will be conducting an experiment tomorrow. That way, the dragon chain should be ignored tonight. Headmaster, if you could assign a professor or two to watch the lake, that should allow us to catch anyone trying to tamper with evidence."

"Is there actually a way to figure out who put the fish there?" Snape asked.

"Maybe," Charlie said, "but that isn't the point. Using the chain we get magical spell and signature. If we put out bait at the lake, not only is the chain undisturbed tonight, then maybe we catch an attacker. Two for one special. With all of that information, we should be able to determine who is trying to sabotage the tournament."

"Very clever, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said. "I'd expect this deviousness from your brothers, but to see this level of trickery from an ex-prefect is quite interesting."

"They helped with the plan, but the misdirection is pretty simple for dragon wranglers," Charlie said. "It's pretty critical when studying dragons to have their attentions anywhere but you." Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "I better go make sure my brothers don't get out of control."

"Very well." Charlie left the office, and Dumbledore looked at his trusty spy. "Severus, do you have any idea why the tasks are being sabotaged?"

"I have no concrete proof yet, Headmaster."

"Then we must allow the attackers a chance to show their fangs." Dumbledore rubbed his head. "You will take the lake, along with Professor Sinestra. She will show late, because of her class. Make sure no one is captured." Snape nodded and hurried out of the office. "As for the chain, I suppose another solution is best."

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

The two figures crept towards the chain lying on the quidditch field. Glances around revealed no one. They spoke a harsh guttural language, eyes peeled for any movement. The taller one gestured to the chain, and his companion went to pick it up. Just as his hands were inches from the chain, a golden light flared.

The figure tried to jump back but the light was all around him. Golden bars appeared, and they intermeshed to form a cage, before the bars set into place around the figure. Desperate attempts were made to get out, but the figure remained trapped. The taller figure sighed and drew a wand. They prepared to fire at the cage, but spell fire erupted from the darkness, forcing them back.

"You are a little late. I was expecting you earlier," Charlie said, striding from the shadows. "I don't care that evil never sleeps. I do, so let's get started. Would you mind telling me who tipped you off about the chain? Very few people know."

"It matters not if you know," the taller figure said as they turned to Charlie, grasping their wand. "You will be dead soon."

"No harm in telling me, right?" Charlie didn't wait for an answer and his wand whipped out in harsh patterns, throwing cutting and explosion spells. His opponent was forced to shield, but then retaliated with banishing and blasting curses of his own. One dark blue curse forced Charlie to dodge, but most of them he deflected away.

Charlie threw down a smokescreen charm before bursting out of the smoke with a jump, firing two spells at the space his opponent had been before, but he was confronted with only darkness. Charlie dropped to the floor and whipped his wand around him, casting a fire spell to ring himself with flames. He saw a shadow rushing from his right, and the banishing charm caused the blow to graze him rather than catch him flush.

Charlie rolled away but the tall figure was upon him in an instant. Charlie just snapped his wand out and fired but his exploding charm simply flew off into the darkness. He had just enough time to see the glee on his opponents face as he raised his wand right before his face went blank and he slumped to the ground, courtesy of two stunners.

"Sorry about that Charlie." Fred sheepishly grinned as he climbed out from behind their hiding spot.

"Yeah he was faster than we thought. Wanted to make sure we hit him," George added, right behind his twin.

"No, it was fine," Charlie managed to say, although he was shaken. He dealt with dragons on a daily basis, but this was still the closest he had ever been to death. "We caught them, and that's what we were after."

"But we were just here as a precaution," Fred pointed out.

"Not exactly," Charlie explained. "Every teacher knew that the dragon chain was what I was actually using for information. Hopefully they will give us information, but now I know one thing for certain."

"What?"

"Everyone has been telling me there is no way a staff member was involved in all of this. Now I have no doubt in the matter. Someone from the staff is involved. They probably have accomplices, and that is who attacked us." Charlie sent a quick spell into the golden cage, reinforcing it. "From my vantage point, Professor Hayashi is the most suspicious. I'll be having a chat with him tomorrow."

"I don't think it is him," Fred said.

"He and Harry are extremely close," George said.

"Did you forget what I said this morning already?" Charlie said with a roll of his eyes. "This isn't about hurting Harry! It's about taking out champions. If Krum and Fleur go down, Harry's chances of winning go up. If Professor Hayashi is close to Harry, that's not in his favor. That's motive."

"Motive?" George asked. "What's that?"

"Your deductions are impressive, dragon wrangler Weasley," a silky voice said from the shadows. A woman glided into view, catching all three Weasley's by surprise. "I was curious as to why the task of retrieving the dragon chain was not completed. Apparently my men were caught out by a clever trap. Was it your doing?"

"George, Fred, get out of here!" Charlie drew his wand again, holding it tightly. He felt the power radiating off the woman, and instantly knew he was no match. This woman was master class, and the fact she did not even have her wand drawn made his even more nervous. He felt his brothers hesitating. "Now!" Charlie barked.

"We can help," Fred said, and he and his brother pointed their wands at the woman.

"Foolish," The woman said. Charlie heard his brothers both yelp. He didn't dare take his attention of the woman, but he couldn't help a tiny glance and in that instant the woman was right next to him. "You are mine, dragon wrangler." Charlie felt a presence in his mind, and tried to fight it, but the woman slid her hands over him and Charlie felt his resistance falling.

A stunner raced out of the darkness, forcing the woman back. She hissed as she saw the world famous Albus Dumbledore striding into view. Two wings appeared on the woman's back, and a but the old wizard didn't even blink an eye as the woman rose into the air.

"You are no normal witch. It appears our enemy has considerable resources." The woman swooped down at Albus, but it was all too easy as the old wizard cast an invisible shield that Albus' attacker smashed into. He tried to bind the wings but the witch recovered quickly and regained its range.

"Dumbledore, ahhhh!" The woman cried estaticly out. "I shall slay you and feast on your remained, and take your power!"

"Mr. Weasley, I believe your brothers are fine, but you may want to check on them," Dumbledore said, swirling his colorful robes. "I shall handle this." Charlie gave a quick glance at the headmaster and felt the wave of powerful magic coming from Order of Merlin winner. He had spent a lot of time with Harry, and while Harry was without a doubt stunningly powerful, the dragon wrangler had forgotten that Dumbledore was still the man to defeat Grindlewald and the Supreme Mugwump of the European International Confederation of Wizards. He was far from a pushover.

"Thanks."

"Now, perhaps you will tell me why you are here, hmmm?" Dumbledore said more to himself as he twirled his wand. The witch sneered and dove down at Dumbledore again. The elder wizard simply let his magic take over. His shields were unbelievably fast, and a few times he managed to get within inches of taking his foe down. Then he saw a chance as the witch lost altitude to a stunner. In a chain of brilliantly fast binding spells he locked the witch in unbreakable chains.

"Quite the challenge," Dumbledore said, snapping out a quick disarming and silencing spell. He walked over to the woman, examining her closely. His wand twitched in his hand and Dumbledore stumbled backwards, a spear of pure magical energy piercing the ground where he had stood just a moment ago.

"Your reputation is well deserved." A masked figure stepped into the clearing, his wand aimed at Dumbledore. "We are not ready to face someone of your caliber, not yet." The voice was deep and commanding. "Sarai, did I not tell you to retrieve the two who failed and retreat?" The woman thrashed against her bonds. "We shall depart now."

"Yet another surprise, but you will go nowhere!" Dumbledore shouted, his wand firing off a chain of powerful spells that the man was able to deflect. Out of the corner of his eye Dumbledore saw the woman free the two men Charlie and his brothers had subdued, and drew his power deep from within himself. He felt his magic hum as it synchronized with his wand and he steadied himself, before muttering his spell. An incalculable number of beams sprayed from his wand, arcing all over the stadium before turning inwards at the most powerful of his foes.

"Ah," The figure said as he watched the lights flash all around him. "I guess I will counter with this. Scutum Mortiferum!" Dumbledore watched as a dark shield enveloped the man and his beams were sucked into the shield before bouncing back at him. Being very familiar with the spell the man used himself it was easy to reabsorb the beams. Dumbledore felt himself shaking a little bit. He recognized that spell, the deadly shield. He had helped developed it as a young man, a counter to unknown attacks.

"Where did you learn a spell like that?"

"We are not ready for you to die just yet." Albus watched dispassionately as the man vanished in a burst of speed he could not follow before sheathing his wand.

Someone who could cast that spell meant serious trouble. Albus had suspected that Charlie was far too clever to not expect an attack on the dragon chain, but was confident he could handle it. Losing the dragon chain would be no great loss, as Dumbledore had a few strong leads as to who was sabotaging the tasks, but he would need to see if Severus could investigate first.

"Are your brothers recovered?" Albus asked Charlie, who was waving his wand over the twins.

"They are in no immediate danger, but I'd like Madam Pomfrey to check them over," Charlie answered.

"Fawkes!" Dumbledore called, and the phoenix flamed into view. "If you could take the twins to the infirmary?" The phoenix landed on the two boys and with another flash it was just Charlie and Dumbledore in the darkness of the quidditch stadium. "Well, that was an exciting night."

"Sir, why did you let them get away?" Charlie asked.

"I had no intention of a prolonged fight with a that man. He was not ordinary wizard, and not someone I would take on without precaution. He was willing to flee after rescuing his comrades so they could not divulge information to us. Besides, we did retain the dragon chain."

"Yeah…" Charlie looked incredibly guilty.

"Ah, it turns out that was not the whole story?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yeah, the potion I told you about?" Dumbledore nodded, indicating Charlie should continue. "It doesn't exist."

"Truly?"

"It was a trap within a trap," Charlie admitted. "But now we know that one of the teacher's is trying to killing champions."

"Do you have any suspicions," Albus asked.

"Everyone here seems to love Professor Hayashi, but he is close with Harry, and it would be to his advantage if other champions got hurt."

"But did he not protect some of the champions by the lake?" Albus noted.

"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "It's all very convoluted. Are the attacks connected? And now there are multiple master classes involved? To be honest Albus, I think it's about time I return to Romania. This is all a little convoluted for me, and it's clear Harry doesn't need all that much protection."

"If you truly wish to, I will not force you to stay, although we will miss you" Albus said. "Could you not stay until the end of year . You must also consider that now since you have returned to England, do you think your mother will let you leave so easily, without so much as a goodbye?"

"It's more like if I don't leave now, she will never let me leave," Charlie explained, and Dumbledore nodded knowingly. "You can do what you want with the chain. I'll go check on my brothers." Charlie trudged off towards the castle, and Dumbledore simply rubbed his beard. Again the winds of change were swirling around Hogwarts.

It seemed like a fight was brewing, with the potential of yet another war in his lifetime. Albus had known the moment that Voldemort had risen that his fight was not done. There was no one ready to take up his mantle. If it was not for the presence of the prophecy, Harry had everything necessary, before he developed an edge, a sliver of darkness this year.

But the boy would die. Dumbledore would return to simply teaching if he could, but Britain and Europe demanded too much from him, and he could not let them fall to Voldemort when he returned. Severus reported that the mark became stronger every day and sometimes it even burned, something that he had not felt since that fateful Halloween. It was worrying, but he would rise to the challenge. He would find a hero to take his mantle, and would defy Voldemort until Harry was ready to challenge the dark lord. But again there was a new challenge, one he must face.

He could not rest yet, there was a dangerous road ahead. Magical Britain had always been holding its breath. So many were convinced that Voldemort was gone, but the moment Harry had laid the diary on his desk, Dumbledore knew what was going on. It had been a year of investigations into Merope Gaunt to realize what her son had done, what a monster Tom truly was.

In some ways, the mark remaining on the death eaters had been a godsend. If they had been fully released, they would have found another leader, one with more resources and a more measured and well-planned attack, something that Dumbledore would find it hard to fight against. So those who preached pureblood supremacy over all else were stuck waiting for the return of their dark lord. But Dumbledore would confront him once more, and this time it would be the end of one of the two. That he knew, and he promised that when he faced Tom one last time, he would discard his belief in second chances. Tom had burned through any belief that he could redeemed.

Dumbledore had no true reason to fight in this war, except for the fact that only he could end it. Harry was strong, abnormally strong for someone his age. If he had a few more years and formal training in spells, not the ridiculous martial arts he was learning now, Dumbledore could finally return to a simple life and rest easy knowing that even if he was dangerous, the wizarding world has a new protector. But Harry was heading down a path that would leave him at Voldemort's door, and even if by some miraculous display of power Harry emerged victorious, the world might be seeing the rise of an even more powerful dark lord, one with the support of the people.

And Albus felt like he had plans in place to ensure that the greater good was fulfilled. Sometime soon, it would all be over. He would collect and destroy the horcrux's and Tom would be forced to flee, ending the war before it began. When Charlie had told Dumbledore of his theory of two different groups trying to sabotage the tournament he had laughed it up. But if the deadly shield spell was any indication, there was indeed another player on this field, one far more dangerous than Voldemort and his death eaters might be.

If the followers of Grindlewald had indeed persevered and shared the knowledge of the Dark Lord, spells he and Albus had created, he could not afford to be distracted. So that night, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Supreme Mugwump of the European International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Percival Wulfric Brain Dumbledore made a decision, for the greater good. For the first time since World War II, he would take the life of the dark lord Voldemort when he had the chance. He would make sure Harry did not outlive Voldemort, to risk the rise of the Dark Lord Potter.

Dumbledore now knew he had to focus on the true enemy, the real menace, hidden behind a name so apt for the followers of Grindlewald: The Vengeful Brotherhood.


	53. Chapter 53

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: The time they spend in Cusco is modeled after my own trip. Peru is amazing, and Machu Pichu was breathtaking, even if my characters aren't going there.**

**Also, you will notice that I now reference the Mibu Wolf, and start to explore that title. Nambung is not named the Mibu Wolf. It is a position he holds, but the position has certain demands. In real life, the Wolves of Mibu refer to the Shinsengumi, perhaps the strongest independent sword wielding force ever. But my Mibu Wolf draws heavily from the Saito Hajime created in the manga Rurouni Kenshin, which I use in Ready Player Harry as well. There is similarity, so I just want to add I do not own Saito Hajime or any characters from Rurouni Kenshin in this series either.**

Chapter 53: Reminiscing

April, 1995

Remus smelt Harry's excitement as he crept through the woods. Magic pulsed all around him, the consequence of fighting in the forbidden forest. Still, the carefully tuned werewolf senses gave him a tiny warning, combining magic sensitivity and the tiny sound of a leaf breaking behind him. Remus rolled to his left, two stunners flying through the space he had just been in.

Remus's wand flashed out, but Harry had already vanished back into the forest, Remus' bone breakers finding only air. The older man's wand was a blur of movement as a variety of spells crashed against a transparent half crescent around him. Remus heard a sigh of frustration and fired his own stunners after the sound of the sigh.

Two curved hexes swung around the crescent shield, but Remus had already aimed his wand upwards and with a simple binding spell, ropes sprang from his wand and yanked him upwards towards the balcony of branches. He landed nimbly on the branch and saw a flicker of movement a few trees away. This time it was Remus's turn to launch two swerving spells, but they impacted trees.

Remus pushed some magic into his legs and bounded towards the movement, jumping from branch to branch, using his magic enhanced legs to keep his balance on the precarious branches. On one jump a spell arced towards him, but Remus flicked it away. He would have fallen at the end of the jump, but he solidified his magic and used it as spikes to hold onto the branch.

Locked in place by the spikes, a barrage of spells flew at him. Again Remus summoned the transparent spell, this time in a half sphere in front of him, the spells once again dissolving upon impact. Remus dispelled the spikes but had no area to target as the spells had come from a wide area.

He picked up Harry's scent right below him and sprung from the branches firing some borderline hexes but saw Harry flick all of them away and respond with some blasting charms of his own. Remus flew past them, rolled as he landed, and he and Harry exchanged spells and shields at high speed for a few seconds before Harry clipped Remus with a cutting hex. Remus tried to create distance but Harry was relentless, attacking with a combination of binding spells and blasting charms.

Finally Harry slipped a full-body bind in after two powerful blasting spells and Remus fell to the ground, body locked in place, his face contorted in frustration. Harry's eyes blazed with satisfaction, but as he turned a spell impacted his side and Harry was knocked into a nearby tree. Harry had forced his magic into an invisible aura around him, so the spell did not complete its goal of breaking bone even if his breathing came hard.

"Dead," a female voice called out. Harry turned and held back a string of curses as Yui Ito, the current bane of his existence appeared from within the trees. "If I put any power into that spell, you'd be dead."

"You said you wouldn't be here today!" Harry exclaimed angrily. "So I was just focused on Remus. He is tough enough as is."

"Please," Yui replied with a careless wave of her hand. Harry felt a pulse of magic and threw up his wand to knock away her stunner. "Someone of your skill should be able to easily handle Remus and still keep up enough awareness to sense me."

"We are talking, and you still throw spells at me?" Harry was fuming as he stared at Yui. "How would you like it?"

"I'm right here," Remus complained.

"You can try," Yui said in her usual dismissive tone that drove Harry up the walls, ignoring Remus' comment. "I doubt you will be able to land anything on me." The next wave of her wand unlocked Remus and Harry saw the werewolf was less than pleased with Akira's fiancé as well. "Still, you should be more aware."

"Sure," Harry said, looking down at his watch. "Remus, it's almost 8. I'm going to shower." Remus nodded as Harry trotted out of the forest.

"Really?" Remus's tone was deceptively mild. "Easy to handle, am I?"

"Oh, don't pout," Yui said with a smile that could best described as a sneer. "Your werewolf qualities help you, and you are a decent spellcaster. But do you expect to truly trouble Harry, even with a ban on magical hand-to-hand combat?" Remus reluctantly had to admit she was right. "You can tell, right?"

"Yeah," Remus agreed. "Harry has hit a wall. Do you have any idea why?"

"No, which is worrying," Yui told the older man. "He shouldn't have hit a wall so soon. Something is weird about his power. He's too far along for someone who has been training for less than a year, but now he is stalling."

"Harry's always been strong for his age," Remus countered.

"It has nothing to do with his overall power," Yui explained. "His spell repertoire tells me he keeps it simple, but his ability to move his magic and physical power around accordingly is already better than me. His sensory magic is already master class, even if he needs to learn how to focus appropriately."

"Master class?" Remus asked. "I thought that was a very high bar."

"It is," Yui acknowledged, "but individual skills can be at master level. There are different levels of mastery as well. It's all very convoluted, but Harry needs to improve to be a master. For the moment, he needs to solve his block."

As he showered, Harry subconsciously agreed with what Yui and Remus were discussing. He had felt it during all his training over the past few weeks. He was gaining vital battle experience, but he wasn't getting any better. It was frustrating, but when he had returned to Hogwarts, Nambung had warned him he would soon hit a wall, especially if he could not connect with and develop his specialty magic.

Harry's frustration started to affect his mood and his overall spellcasting. He had charms and herbology, and after both classes Flitwick and Sprout held him back to say his work that class had been unacceptable given his improvement during the year. To Harry's surprise, Sprout was a little more accepting, while the Charms master would accept no excuse and stated under no uncertain terms that he would expect better the next class.

By the time it was dinner, frustration was figuratively rolling off Harry. Dean and Neville, who had planned a guy's night to counter the girl's night from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor girls, were sitting by Harry at dinner felt a little sick. He barely responded to their inquiries as he shoved his food around his plate, stuck in his own mind.

"Harry, what's going on?" Neville tried in vain, once again, to knock Harry out of his funk. "Are you ok?"

"What?" Harry looked up, his eyes and posturing clearly indicating he was not all there. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You have been off all day," Dean pointed out. "You've never failed to cast multiple times, and Flitwick was ticked off at you. You have to talk it out."

"No, I'm sorry," Harry apologized. "I've just hit a wall with my training. I knew it was coming, but it's just annoying. I guess I've let it affect more than just my training."

"Oh."

"I have a crazy idea," Dean said, allowing a pregnant pause to build.

"Would you like to share with the class?" Harry finally cut in.

"Why not take some time off from working so hard?"

"Excuse me?"

"Look, this is just conjecture, but I think you are probably hitting a wall, especially around specialty magic because your instinctual side is tired," Dean asserted.

"I think you skipped a few steps," Neville commented. Harry nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'm no psychology expert, but the way I understand it, your mind has two aspects. The rational part, and the instinctual side. Your rational mind has taken over, which is why you are training so hard, especially after a near-death experience. But your instinctual mind is what helps you make big leaps, and you are exhausting it now by not doing anything fun. At least that's how it seems to me."

"What about the night we cooked?" Neville responded. "Honestly where did you even learn?"

"Going up with the Dursley's it was kind of necessary. But I at least enjoyed cooking." Dean and Neville shared a glance. They had seen the litany of scars on Harry's body increase every year, and for the first time understood what his life in the summers before 1994 were really like. That was not something that needed discussing when trying to get Harry out of his funk

"Cooking is the right kind of the idea, but that was still work," Dean countered. "Besides, that was close to a month ago, and no offense, but Harry is not known for his restraint when training."

"True," Neville added with a grin.

"You two…" Harry started to reply, but slowed himself. "Actually, you know what. that's actually not the craziest idea."

"I know," Dean told Harry. "So do your classes and such tomorrow, and then this weekend just go some stupid stuff. No homework or training. Just fun stuff that you want to do, not that you have to do."

"I guess I have been pretty focused recently," Harry admitted. "What if what I want to do is train?"

"No," Neville stated. "That would defeat the purpose. We can reschedule guy night for tomorrow night. And I have some ideas for the weekend."

"Like what?"

"No need for snark," Dean replied with a calm Harry envied. "I bet I have the same idea that Neville has." The two looked at each other with a smile. "You can flash anywhere you have visited, right?"

"Just about," Harry cautiously affirmed. It was a little more complicated than that, and Harry had explained the bare bones of his new lightning powers to most of his friends, but he had sworn an oath to keep the specifics of his powers to himself, not that he planned on sharing his master's trade secrets.

"Well, we both know this awesome girl who is crazy about you, and Hogsmeade isn't really cool the second time around," Dean started.

"So why don't you guys flash somewhere cool and go on some adventures?" Neville finished.

"It's not like that," Harry sputtered. But he was lying, and he knew it. Apparently, so did Neville and Dean.

"Will the minister for the great country of denial yield to a question?" Dean countered. Harry sat stone faced. "She tracked you down and helped put you back together after Professor McGonagall thought you were gone forever. She's nuts about you, and you clearly like her. Why are you fighting this so hard?"

Harry really didn't have an answer, and Dean's entirely rhetorical question bounced around his head all night. Not only did he not have an answer, he was afraid that after a deep dive into his feelings, he might stop fighting all together. The fact that a reality where he stopped fighting scared him, but he when he was alone and honest with himself, Harry wasn't truly fighting anymore.

Ever since his temporary flight to Italy, Fleur had steadily wearing him down, though Harry was not as resistant as he had been in January or February. Now at the beginning of April, he did not hide from her rather consistent hugs and displays of affection, though he drew the line at kissing in public. Fleur countered by persistently holding his hand with a smirk on her face as she saw Harry's normally stern countenance at her attempts at romance waver more than once when she managed to drag him into a dark corner to give a more demonstrative display of her feelings.

They did have a guy's night Friday that ended when the boys were caught trying their best to force their way into the Slytherin common room with stink bombs and fleeing from Snape before he could identify them, Harry met Fleur at the entrance to the great hall Saturday morning. To his surprise, he saw Victor and Luna waiting as well.

"Victor, Luna?" Harry asked.

"The blibbering humdingers said you two were planning a fun trip, and I don't like Hogsmeade much," Luna explained.

"Why not?" Harry said with a laugh. "Grab on."

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore cried, striding forward. "Where are you going? Fourth years cannot leave the castle as they please?"

"You are right," Harry admitting. "Victor and Fleur are 7th years though."

"And I am a Beauxbatons student," Fleur reminded the headmaster. "You have no control over me, Headmaster. Victor and I would be fine to borrow Harry for a ride to a very important meeting. Madame Maxine has already approved it with Harry. We promise he will return after dropping us off." Harry hid a smile at comment. He was still trying to figure out Dumbledore, but it was nice to see him put in place by Fleur.

"See that he does," Dumbledore said stiffly.

"He will try," Luna added. "But he might be tired from carrying three people really far. So maybe he'll have to carry us back Sunday. Magic is certainly hard."

"That is preposterous," Dumbledore blustered.

"She isn't wrong," Harry mildly put forward, totally unaffected by the death glare Dumbledore was giving him, the twinkle he usually used to strong affect long gone. "Three people a long distance through wards is no joke. Besides, I will need to wait for Fleur and Victor to finish their meeting anyways."

"Well, Ms. Lovegood will certainly not be going along," Dumbledore claimed, searching for some form of a victory."

"Of course I will," Luna said with such confidence Dumbledore almost backed down by mistake.

"Ms. Lovegood, I must insist that as your headmaster-"

"Don't worry about that. I am transferring next year anyways. This is a good trial run for a new school with different rules." The three champions around her were floored by that announcement.

"Ms. Lovegood…" Dumbledore was even more stunned. He had never considered Luna Lovegood a valuable piece, but this year surrounded by friends she was flourishing, and could certainly be a valuable pawn in the war to come. Her mother had been an excellent spell creator, and if his nemesis had indeed left disciples behind, Luna's latent talent and occasional insight would be valuable and could be a useful piece to sacrifice to gain information.

"Well, if that's all solved," Harry hesitantly said, grabbing Fleur and Victor. Luna slipped her hand into Victor's, who used his free arm to wrap around Luna. "We should get going."

"Mr. Potter, I insist you tell me where you are going."

"South Africa," Harry said, accompanied by the blue crackle of lighting. It raced around him, enveloping the four students and then blinked out of existence, leaving only empty space. Dumbledore turned and saw the entire hall had been watching the confrontation. He tried to school his angry emotions, but he saw the amusements from some of Harry's friends along with Minerva and Filius and he strode out of the hall, his robes billowing in frustration.

"Are you really going to transfer?" Harry asked as they materialized on a small hill, surrounded by trees with the sun barely peeking over the trees, a heat in the air that would not be seen in Scotland in April, or really any month of the school year. He looked at the blond now almost a foot shorter than him. The Harry was now comfortably taller than Fleur, and met Krum's eyes easily. Now that he was flirting with 6 feet, he was content to stop growing. He was taller than both his past master and his current master, and occasionally it was a struggle to deal with them. While size might be useful in a fight based on strength, it could be an impediment when technique came into play.

"Who knows?" Luna told him. "Sure, I have friends at Hogwarts now, but…"

"But I won't be in England," Victor finished, and Luna nodded sadly.

"And you won't be able to visit often," Luna added

"We don't have to talk about this now." Victor looked around curiously. "We aren't in South Africa, are we Harry?"

"Don't be an idiot," Harry said, which had them all in stiches. "Of course not. We are South though."

"This is gorgeous," Fleur observed as she took in the scenery. "But I do hope we are not camping tonight. Even Wizard tents are not my favorite."

"No, it is just a bit of a hike to where I think we can stay," Harry explained. "We are actually fairly close to the city. We are in the hills near Cusco."

"Cusco?" Victor asked.

"Peru," Harry answered. "If we had more time, I'd say we should do the hike up to Machu Pichu. Apparently, it's quite a sight. But this is a really cool place."

"And how exactly did you come to visit a town in Peru?" Fleur inquired, and Harry could hear that she was less than amused. A non-answer would not be acceptable to her.

"In January, my master, his squad, and I were hunting some criminals smuggling South America goods. They hired a few wizards."

"That kind of raises more questions than it answers," Victor said. "You went and hunted down wizards when you were gone?"

"Occasionally. My master is a harsh taskmaster, and is of the school of thought that real life is the best training" Harry acknowledged. "He throws you in the middle of a mess. Usually if you have trained with him, you are plenty powerful enough anyways."

"So you ended up in Peru?"

Harry told the story of the harrowing chase through the Peruvian mountains as they chased the smugglers, occasionally clashing with their wizard guards. It all culminated in a battle near Cusco where Nambung's squad had gotten ahead of the smugglers and hit the convoy from both sides. Harry did not reveal that it had been a bloodbath. Nambung was already irritated at the current politics being played, but when he learned that the "goods" being traded were people, he executed the survivors of the battle in cold blood. Harry hadn't participated, but he hadn't looked away or protested.

Harry did not hold much back from his story, but was intentionally vague about the death of around 30 smugglers, even though they had already surrendered. There was no reason to let truth get in the way of a good story. But he did end the story with a happy note. Most of the slaves had been from Argentina, so Nambung split his squad and led half back to Argentina. Harry had stayed in Peru and toured, as was described to him "a beautiful place to bring a beautiful lover." He hadn't blushed then, but he had nothing to blush about in January, when he had been with Li Min.

Soon enough the trees thinned and the quaint little town came into view. To Fleur, Krum, and Luna, it felt like no time had passed, entirely enthralled in a fascinating tale of Asian hit wizards against rogue wizards in a far-away land. To his surprise, Fleur was not the one that asked the question someone familiar with politics might ask.

"So why did Korean wizards deal with South American criminals?" Luna asked.

"First of all, the wizards under Nambung's command are not all Korean," Harry felt obliged to correct her. It was a common assumption that the members of the squad his master commanded, the Wolves of Mibu were handpicked by the current unit leader and that the squad dealt with considerable turnover. That was far from the case, and the political concerns regarding new recruits led to the squad being far more cosmopolitan than other special ops teams. This also took in account that the Wolves was the most prestigious squad in Asia since their formation in 1863. "The second in command, the women who led the squad after my master departed, spent most of her life in China. Her name is Li Min, and she is stone cold and very dangerous."

"That is blatantly avoiding my question," Luna pointed out.

"My master has a bit of a…reputation, so he gets special requests sometimes. He chose to take this one as a real life training lesson for me."

"Did it work?" Fleur asked, grabbing his hand and looking at him with concern.

"Well, people were throwing organ-boiling curses at me, and I came out ok. Not to mention I was in command of half the squad, helped organize an ambush, and none of the agents under my command went down. On the whole I was pretty satisfied."

"So, why did you choose to come back here now?" Victor now chimed in. Harry reluctantly conceded and told them what the waiter at his restaurant had told him before he had explained in no uncertain terms that he and Li Min were not a couple. It was one of the few times in his time with the Chinese witch that he had seen her irritated. She was not emotionless, but rather extremely even-keeled, but the thought that she and Harry might be involved had her grinding her teeth, which Harry thought was uncalled for, even if she was twice his age. In the end, the waiter had advised him to come back with the right partner.

"So, where is this waiter?" Fleur prodded him.

"Oh, we are going somewhere else." Harry guided them to a restaurant in the middle of town with a view overlooking the mountains. "Just taking his advice." With the sun setting and creating an otherworldly glow over the town square, the four sampled a variety of odd cuisine. Harry left while the other 3 had desert and came back with the room key 2 hotel rooms. His intentions had been pure, and when Fleur tried to divide the rooms Harry had pointed out Luna's age. Luna had grabbed one of the cards and literally dragged Victor away, leaving Fleur in stiches and Harry a little uncomfortable, though he got a reassuring nod from Victor as Fleur guided him back into the town square for a moonlight stroll.

After what could only be described as a near perfect moon, which illuminated what Harry could only describe as a truly romantic evening, their return to the town and hotel found a guitar player behind them. Inspiration struck Harry, and a little money changed hands before a gentle sound spilled from the guitar. Harry grabbed Fleur's hands and brought her close to him. With her flush against him he wrapped his arms around her and gently swayed.

Fleur was thrilled that Harry was being so considerate, even initiating physical contact. She was truly touched that Harry had decided, without even hinting to her, that this was a good time to enjoy what was truly a romantic weekend between the two. The mood suggested that Fleur give Harry a toe-curling kiss, but she settled for laying her head on his shoulder and snuggling in extra tight to his chest. For now.

The next morning Harry couldn't hide the flush on his face. Fleur had pushed a little, and when they by the time they were ready to sleep, shirts had been strewed across the room. They had both been fairly affectionate last night, and a little more physical in their demonstrations of affection than in the past. When they started to get a little heated Harry had stopped, but upon reflection Harry was both relieved and disappointed, a new and not all to pleasant sensation. Luna was simply glowing as they all devoured breakfast, a consequence of what had been a long day before, but Victor didn't look too troubled. Harry did take Victor aside to have a quick discussion, during which the Bulgarian explained that nothing of real consequence happened and Harry happily took him at his word.

Luna and Fleur were engaged in furtive whispers, and a part of Harry suspected that Luna had suggested that they act like that purely to bother Harry. He let it go on for a few minutes before taking Fleur aside and giving her a searing kiss, which left her blushing and silent. It was an interesting morning as they left the hotel to go walk around some gorgeous ruins with a brilliant sunrise the backdrop to their hike. Harry found himself almost besotted, which he found equal parts exhilarating and unnerving, as it was a not entirely unpleasant change in their relationship. Meanwhile it was Krum's day to take the lead from Luna, who had started to ramble about magical creatures, only to be swiftly silenced with a brief kiss that spoke volumes.

They had walked around barely speaking. There was an odd, magical quality about the day they spent touring the ruins. Not magical in the sense that they would primarily use, but rather a special afternoon that would have been somewhat spoiled by incessant babbling. The ruins were truly beautiful, and while the four had gone there with no knowledge of what they were really looking at, it was still a special day Harry was sure he would remember for a long time.

As early afternoon started to near evening, Harry brought out a surprise picnic lunch he had asked the hotel to prepare last night. His companions were thrilled, and they enjoyed a simple meal overlooking the Peruvian mountains. Again a comfortable silence overtook the party, happy to take in the view and simply enjoy the company. Fleur looked up in surprise as Harry closed his eyes and laid against her shoulder, a relaxed and easy smile settling on his face, one that she had not seen before.

Fleur looked over at Victor, who had Luna in a similar position. Victor had a smile that truly said 1000 words. Luna might believe, correctly so, that Victor would not be in England next year. But looking at the two of them thy demonstrating an ease with each other that made her a little jealous. Fleur suspected that somehow, the Bulgarian seeker, international quidditch star would find a way to be with the quite unusual but special young English witch.

Harry opened his eyes as the sun was nearing the horizon and smiled at Fleur. Her heart never failed to flip flop a little as the love of her life gave her a smile that was only reserved for her. In the back of her mind, a jealous part of Fleur acknowledged Hermione might get the smile as well even if it had a different meaning, but right now it was just her and him. As they stood and prepared for Harry to flash them back, Fleur felt like they had taken a big step this weekend.

She was surprised to find that she was happy that Harry and her had not taken the final step this weekend. Despite how special it was and how romantic the night before had been, it would have felt a little hurried, and in Italy it would have been a mistake as well. Patience was hard for Fleur, but she could tell, from little glances, small touches and soft spoken words that Harry felt different now then he had a month earlier. She was willing to wait to put gentle pressure on him again until the summer. But then, nothing would keep her from claiming him completely.

The crackle of lightning that signified their return occurred right as the gates closed. Harry brought Fleur back to her carriage to bid her goodnight. They barely spoke as Harry bid her goodnight, the look in their eyes communicating clearly to one another. Even if Harry was starting to feel the same way, he would not say the three words that would truly change their relationship into something deeper. But Fleur was content as she went to bed, the shimmering affection clear in Harry's brilliant emerald eyes. It was nice for her to know that she could still leave Harry a little stunned despite not having an ounce of allure on her side. The weekend reminded her of her mother's favorite saying whenever Fleur had been worried she would never find a mate. When love is real, it finds a way. Which this certainly was and would.

It took Harry a few minutes to gather his thoughts at the portrait of the fat lady, who had nothing other than quips for him as his mind settled. The lake appeared is his mind, and the ripples from the boulder that had been Fleur slowly dissipated and Harry calmly shut up the fat lady with the password. His watch showed the clock nearing 11, and as he entered he saw a few 7th years working towards N.E.W.T.s look up but quickly return to studying. However, one friend had stayed up.

"Hey Neville," Harry said, plopping down on the coach next to his friend.

"Hey Harry," Neville said. "Looks like you had a relaxing weekend."

"You know what, I did," Harry admitted. "Don't let it get to your head."

"I'm not saying anything," Neville responded, though his eyes showed something else. "You know, a lot of people would kill to be in your shoes," Neville pointed out. "You could stand to not be acting like someone killed your dog." Harry sneered a bit at that. For obvious reasons, he did not love that metaphor, although Sirius's animagus status was still a closely held secret. "What?"

"Nothing." With supreme effort, Harry smoothed his features. "But it goes the other way too, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"When everyone wants to be you, do you?" Harry mused.

"That's awfully deep for a Sunday night where I doubt you did any homework?"

"Yeah," Harry conceded with a laugh. "Don't be surprised when I miss a lot of class this week."

"You know what people will say when you miss class after this weekend," Neville cautioned.

"I suspect I do," Harry sighed. "I also suspect that Fleur will not care one bit, and I find myself caring less."

"Well, I think it will be ok as long as Skeeter doesn't get ahold of it," Neville noted.

"Skeeter?" Harry asked.

"You don't know who Rita Skeeter is?"

"No, should I?"

"She wrote the article about Victor and Luna. She's a smear journalist. She actually wrote an article about you going dark in the Daily Prophet, and wrote an article about Fleur ensnaring you and the goblet of fire after the Yule Ball."

"Well," Harry pointed out, "I don't read the Daily Prophet, so I suspect that accounts for it."

"Nevertheless, I'd be surprised if someone talked to her. The Krum backlash was serious enough. I know a few people who might be encouraged to be a little more serious than crushing a table if people talk bad about you," Neville proclaimed, his voice rising in volume a little and distracting some of the 7th years for a moment.

"I don't deserve my friends," Harry said in a moment of uncharacteristic sentimental reflection.

"Sure you do," Neville shot back. "For one, we would be failing Defense to a man without you." Harry chuckled and smacked Neville on the shoulder, who faked injury before they both started laughing.

"Maybe not this year."

"Even more this year," Neville countered. "We learn a new spell what seems like every week. Most of which you already know and help us learn."

"Don't worry. I doubt Akira will start to go into the really dangerous spells. Besides, there is no way he will delve into techniques even with you during your morning training."

"Yeah, you haven't been coming to that lately," Neville noted. "What's up with that? We not good enough for you."

"No, you aren't," Harry related honestly. "I'm at Akira's level when we are both holding back, and in some areas I'm definitely better than him. Sensory magic, mental strength, and magical manipulation come to mind. So I'm doing some other stuff. It's why this wall I'm hitting is so frustrating. I feel like I need another serious fight to knock my mind back into shape, but I feel like Dumbledore would frown at that."

"What, killing death eaters?" Neville said. "Portkey into Azkaban and burn the place down."

"You do remember that my falsely convicted godfather was in Azkaban," Harry pointed out.

"Point," Neville acknowledged.

"Besides, killing people is…" Harry trailed off. "Not easy," He finally finished with. Neville glanced at Harry and saw his eyes were far away.

"You have killed more than Bellatrix," Neville guessed.

"Yes," Harry divulged. "Not so many that I can't remember, but what might be an unconscionable amount. It's heavy."

"I can imagine," Neville agreed. They were quieter and quieter now, both pausing to carefully consider their words.

"No you can't," Harry assured him. "For that I am grateful." Neville tipped his head in acknowledgement. "You don't even want to. Sometimes I try to rationalize it. Sometimes it even works. Men and women I know, that I respect, have nothing but hatred for Dumbledore's strategy during the war against Voldemort."

"What, the don't kill your enemies strategy?"

"Ah, so you are acquainted with it?"

"The men who broke my mother and father are rather stark reminders of it. The fact that some of them still walk around breathing at Dumbledore's say so, it makes me sick. It makes my grandmother sick. If I could snap my fingers and kill them now I wouldn't hesitate. Even though she is dead, the fact that I didn't get to personally kill Bellatrix-" Neville was working himself into a fury

"Neville. Take a breath," Harry urged, grabbing his best mate's arm. Neville reluctantly complied, and Harry saw the tension start to ease. "I can't fully relate to what you go through with them, not entirely. I didn't even know what I lost, what you lost until last summer, but you have been dealing with this your entire life. But Dumbledore's stunner only policy spares him, spares the people who fight for him. No matter what choice you choose, it has long reaching consequences. Mercy isn't the worst thing."

"And you think that is right?"

"Neville," Harry stated, "I can tell you with full confidence that I do not know. I don't think Dumbledore knows, though whether or not he is honest about his reasoning is up for debate. He doe seem to truly believes anyone can be redeemed." Harry looked down at his watch and saw both arrows at 12. "Having this discussion is not a bad thing, but not having more viewpoints is tough, and dealing in absolutes is fairly limiting. Besides, it is late."

"So we should stop?"

"Before either of us say something we regret." Harry pointed at Neville's clenched fists. "Besides some of us have class tomorrow."

"Ok," Neville said, unclenching his fists. "Harry, thanks for listening, and not…you know?"

"Not judging?" Harry mildly put forward.

"Yeah."

"I never will." Neville smiled at that and headed up to bed, but Harry remained seated looking into the flickering fire in the fireplace, his eyes far away as he remembered a different flickering fireplace and an even harder discussion.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-_

February, 1995

"How do you deal with it?" Harry asked his master.

"Harry I can't remember everyone I've killed. I lost track when I was child. Say what you want about your horrible uncle and aunt…" There was nothing either of them could say. Harry had endured a miserable childhood, but Nambung had literally lived through a nightmare before meeting Takashi Hayashi. No, nightmare wasn't the right term, Harry silently concluded. Nightmare would suggest that someone might be able to imagine it. "I don't bear. I can't. No one can."

"You seem rather sane for someone who can't bear it," Harry remarked.

"Oh I am," Nambung agreed. "But I think I keep how it affects me to myself. Its why the Wolf of Mibu usually serves less than 3 years, and why the men and women who abdicate the position don't go on to live full lives."

"You have been the Mibu Wolf for 4 years," Harry pointed out.

"Exactly. Killing people, countless people, wasn't a new experience for me," Nambung explained. "But it still tears the soul and mind. More than I'd like to admit. I see them."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes at night, sometimes when I am alone and it is quiet." Nambung rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I don't believe in hell, but that is where they rise from. They grab onto me, pulling me down. 'Come join us brother,' they say. 'Come to this world of death, where you belong.' And then I wake up, or I hear a sound, and they are gone. Always surrounding me, wherever I go. I hear the whispers, or sometimes the outright accusations. Nambung, the mad killer. The Wolf of Mibu who drinks the blood of his dead."

"It's weighty," Nambung continued. "Not my reputation. That was in tatters years ago, and what people think…well I like to think I don't let it bother me. But sometimes I can wash for hours, even when I haven't fought, and I still see it and smell it. The red iron that is the blood of so many I killed, innocents and monsters alike. It's what makes a master a monster. It's what makes me who I am. And I won't change that, as much as there are times I wish I could. A monster is always a monster, no matter how you dress it up."

"A wolf is always a wolf," Harry concluded.

"Yes," Nambung agreed. "You can tame a weak man with money. But I was never something so simple as a man. You can tame a lame dog with food. I was certainly never a dog, lame or otherwise. Like those before me, I was the Mibu Wolf before the title was mine. Because there will never be anything can tame the Mibu Wolf."


	54. Chapter 54

A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands

**A/N: Well, it's been over a year since this started. I have really enjoyed writing this story and developing the world and characters. I believe that the time between this chapter and the 53****rd**** was the longest time between updates. There are a whole host of reasons for this, some technical, some real life concerns, and some around the fact I now have two different stories running with different versions of most of the characters.**

**To be honest, the updating schedule will NOT be better for a little while. I may be able to get a chapter out near the end of November, but no promises. I'd estimate that I will be able to return to once a week near the end of December, 2020, but once I do manage to get back to that speed it will be a straight shot until the end of the story.**

Chapter 54: A Flurry of Fights

April, 1995

"Harry, I cannot allow you to act like this," Dumbledore said. Harry just gave the headmaster a smile. Clearly Dumbledore was trying to act severe, but he was not in control anymore. Minerva put a hand on his shoulder, and Harry's smile grew wider. It felt good to have a teacher in his corner when the headmaster inevitably called him into his office to chide him, something that was a new an enjoyable sensation. It felt even better now that the teacher in question was his grandmother.

"Headmaster, with all due respect, that is not something you have the right to do," Harry reminded him. "After the duel with Bellatrix," Dumbledore squirmed at the memory of that. Harry didn't love the memory either, but a month of constant reassurances by Fleur and Neville had allowed him to deal with it better. "After the victory, I am confirmed as Lord Peverell. Along with being declared as a legal adult by the goblet, you don't have a right to hold me."

"I understand the rules of magical Britain," Dumbledore spat back.

"It doesn't seem like you do," Harry's grandmother said. "Since Sirius is not in a position to act in his position as guardian, as his closest relative I am the only one who can make a formal request of Harry to change his behavior." Minerva looked at Harry, amusement in her eye. "Harry, 5 points from Gryffindor and a detention with me tomorrow night from leaving this past weekend."

"Of course," Harry said, trying to act contrite. He and Minerva already had a training session scheduled for tomorrow night. From the sour look on Dumbledore's face, he was not the only one who knew. "Well, if that's everything."

"Very well." Dumbledore was just tired. He had more important concerns than Harry's now consistent recalcitrant behavior. His Deputy Headmistress, usually so steadfast in her support of him could not be counted in to give him even the slightest support on even trivial matters. Though that was not the truly bothersome part of her behavior

He had overheard from a portrait that Harry's grandmother was discussing the possibility of the boy leaving for Japan after the tournament with his elder brother. Even earlier in the year after their familiar connection had been discovered, the transfiguration professor would have fought vehemently against the idea. After a year of insanity, it seemed that if Harry was to leave, not only would Minerva McGonagall, a Hogwarts institution, allow him to go, but would leave with him, so devoted was she to her last remaining kin.

"I will see you tomorrow then, Minnie," Harry said, hugging his grandmother. Then he froze solid.

"Harry?" Minerva asked at the still boy. She saw Dumbledore rise from his desk as well, a look of confusion on his face. "Headmaster! What did you do to my grandson?"

"He didn't do anything," Harry said, sliding from Minerva'a arms. "He felt it too." Harry's face twisted from confusion into complete bafflement. "And another one?"

"Yes, there is two," Dumbledore said, walking out from behind the desk. "Mr. Potter, while I know we do not see eye to eye, if you could assist me…"

"This time, I think we see eye to eye," Harry said, following the headmaster down the stairs.

"Would you mind informing me what is going on?" McGonagall asked, her Scottish brogue starting to creep into her tone.

"The Headmaster and I noticed a spike in magic near the outskirts of the grounds, near the Beauxbatons carriage a few seconds ago," Harry explained. "I think we were both trying to sense what was going on when another flare of magic threw me off. It was multiple spells being cast at once, on the 6th floor down an empty corridor. I don't recognize all the signatures, but I sure recognize Cedric. I'll go there, if that's ok with you Albus."

"Please exercise restraint and do not take sides." Harry just flashed a toothy grin. "I will send some staff members along to take control of the situation." Dumbledore raised his wand and a glowing phoenix raced off. "I had best go-" the headmaster cut off and looked up. "Harry…"

"What is that?" Minerva knew she was nowhere near the level of the headmaster or Harry when it came to sensory magic. But even she felt the power and malevolence flowing through the castle from above.

"The top floor," Harry breathed out. "It's an unlock."

"An unlock?" Minerva asked as Dumbledore nodded.

"Powerful magical martial artists lock up part of their power," Harry explained. "That way, we don't accidentally harm someone. Otherwise you tend to unconsciously move your magic around to power up spells. It's an intrinsic part of your training. Someone on the 7th floor just unlocked, and they are powerful."

"Three fights in school?" Minerva paled.

"I have to take care of the 7th floor," Harry said. "Grandma, go help Cedric. He is in a serious fight too."

"What about the powerful martial artist?" Minerva fretted.

"Don't worry." Harry took a deep breath, and Minerva and Dumbledore rocked back. Harry always radiated more power than most, but now raw magic was rolling off him, in truly seismic amounts. "I'm a pretty powerful magical martial artist as well. This person isn't the only one who has to unlock to fight seriously" Harry allowed his magic to flow around his body once to loosen him up, and then bounded down the corridor at top speed.

It took Harry barely any time before he reached the 7th floor. As he reached the landing, he saw a few Durmstrang students standing in his way. He did not know two of them, but was not surprised to see the third. Vasiliy, Karkaroff's apprentice took a few steps forward. Harry had suspected that the powerful magical signature that had unlocked on his current floor was the Death Eater and Durmstrang Headmaster. But to have confirmation made him slightly worried. He could not identify the signatures of the ones he was threatening, and did not have time to waste with his student.

"Out of the way Vasiliy," Harry snarled.

"Get out of your-" The two boys next to him were sent flying into opposite walls, and Vasily managed to blink once before being unceremoniously smashed into the floor. Harry took half a second to steady his breathing, more from the sprint than the few quick blows. He stared down at the three unconscious students. The two unnamed students looked bruised and out cold, but none worse for the wear as opposed to Vasily, whose arms were outstretched and bent at awkward angles, a last ditch and unsuccessful attempt to stop himself from flying into the stone floor at high speeds.

"Victor," Harry heard Karkaroff drawl. "I will warn you for the last time. You will end your association with this girl."

"I'll never leave Luna," Victor shot back, and Harry started to silently creep towards the turn in the hallway. He had used pure speed and strength to deal with the Durmstrang students, so it was possible Karkaroff didn't know he was here. Harry could feel the magical power radiating off the visiting headmaster, and knew that if he could, he had to end the fight with a surprise attack. Otherwise, given their relative power and abilities, it could be riskier than he would have preferred.

"Don't be foolish," Karkaroff was saying. "You know you cannot hope to outduel me." Harry started to concentrate. In no time at all, the lake was in his mind as power started to pool in his arms and legs. Harry's muscles started to creak under the strain of condensed magic as Harry drew his wand. He cast a quick and silent spell at the far wall and waited.

Victor stared down his headmaster in shock. He had heard from a few friends that there were rumblings that his headmaster was not fond of his choice of paramour. That was, not in itself, not a shock. The man's feelings about class were well-known, and while Luna was a pure-blood, she was poor and from a family of poor repute, which did not bother Victor one bit. But to see his headmaster literally facing him down, wand in hand, after being guided to a "secret" meeting for him and his girlfriend by that two-faced Vasiliy…

"You are too late," Luna chirped up. "You wasted too much time trying to talk Victor into abandoning me." Karkaroff looked at her curiously.

"Oh, apparently you are under the assumption that someone will come to help you." Karkaroff leveled his wand at Luna, and Victor snapped his wand up from the holster and stepped in front of Luna. "You two are not the only two in danger at the moment, and I have been very careful to shield my power until now."

"So has he," Luna said, and then grabbed Victor. "Victor, duck!" Luna hauled Victor to the ground and Victor felt something whoosh over his head. A cacophony of sounds echoed down the corridor and then Victor heard his headmaster grunt in surprise followed by the sound of a heavy impact. Victor rolled to his feet and aimed his wand at where his headmaster had been standing and drew a relieved breath.

Harry was standing where Karkaroff had been standing before, twirling his wand in his hand, a shield in front of him absorbing a bombardment from his headmaster. Harry had an expression of concentration on his face that was absent during any of the other spars or fights he had seen him in. The amount of power Karkaroff was putting into spells heading his way made a cold sweat run down Victor;s neck, but Harry's wand moved like lightening, flicking half the spells harmlessly overhead while the rest crashed into a shield that Harry summoned behind himself to to protect him and his girlfriend.

A spell flurry at Harry's head was an instant too slow and Harry closed the distance. Harry threw a shoulder into Karkaroff's chest, getting a bit of separation, and somersaulted into the air above him. A discharge of magic swept down his leg and pooled in his foot and Harry forced his body weight down violently. The magically enhanced seismic stomp missed as Karkaroff dodged back but Harry was relentless in pursuit, throwing enhanced punch after punch, interspersing a few cutting spells as his wand switched between his left and right hand effortlessly.

Harry threw all his weight into a right cross that caught the Durmstrang headmaster flush in the chest, sending him flying down the corridor for the second time in as many minutes. Harry flexed his fingers in frustration as Karkaroff rose easily, the older wizard's eyes filled with an angry fire. The two combatants stood ten feet apart, an uneasy silence from the two students behind them.

Harry had hoped to do real damage with that last punch and actually give him an opening to attack with some magical martial arts. but the young wizard had sensed an imminent counter and had managed to pull his blow just in time. Harry tore his shirt over his head, exposing a shallow bloody furrow in his upper chest. Even though he pulled the punch, Karkaroff had managed to gouge out a non-insignificant chunk from his chest. But as the two wands leveled again and Karkaroff began to once again bombard Harry with all manner of blasting and exploding hexes Harry was forced to shield.

Slowly Harry was forced back step by step as his wand whirled into a brilliant dance of counter curses and shields alike as his opponent began to add variety to his spells. Occasionally Harry was able to fire back but the opportunities were far and few between. Harry knew he was faster and more agile that his enemy, but Harry had hoped he would have been able to drive Karkaroff farther down the corridor in the opening exchange. Now he was locked in a fight with a canny opponent taking full advantage of the fact that Harry was responsible for not only himself but also Luna and Victor behind him, forcing him to shield and retreat instead of dodge and counter attack.

The spell barrage paused for a moment and Karkaroff's own wand flew back into his holster as he switched to close range combat. The first few blows would have been the end for Harry if he had not already known faced Karkaroff's martial art style, and even than it was close. The older man's flexed fingers seemed to artificially extend his range and another bloody cut appeared on Harry's right arm before he could counter attack.

Harry threw a blasting hex at the space in between them. Once again Karakroff had managed to leave him a hole in his defense and like an idiot Harry had tried to exploit it. Harry cursed to himself as Karkaroff's foot seemed to simply appear at his shoulder. It had been a feint and Harry was forced to gather magic in his shoulder to block the blow. Even then the block sent numbness radiating down his arm.

"What's wrong?" Karkaroff mocked as Harry shook his arm, trying to regain feeling in the sore limb. "One instant slower and I would have removed the head of the famous Harry Potter." Karkaroff's eyes flicked past Harry and he drew his wand and continued his barrage of spells, forcing Harry into the defensive again. "Don't go running anywhere Victor! You wouldn't want to make it harder for your protector!" He cackled in glee as Harry was forced to shield in place.

The curses and hexes Karkaroff were sending his way were getting more dangerous. Harry saw that Victor had been mid-flight but his headmaster's words had frozen him, thinking that if he fled that Harry might be in more danger. A calculated gamble by Karkaroff that paid off handsomely, as Harry was now guaranteed to be stuck guarding Victor and Luna the entire fight, something he could not keep up for long. It had taken him a minute, but Harry realized that Karkaroff had a hole he could take advantage off and maybe win a fight that was quickly becoming slanted towards his opponent. To take advantage he needed a distraction, a moment to prepare but it looked like his opponent wasn't about to give him that opening.

"Expluso! Diffindo!" Luna cried from over his shoulder and Karkaroff stumbled back in surprise. Both the spells were absorbed around his body, flickering into vision as Luna's magic impacted on his now visible condensed magic shield. It seemed like almost everyone, even Luna, was surprised by the turn of events. Victor and Karkaroff were shocked Luna had thrown herself into the fight. Luna was shocked at the appearance of the invisible magical shield, but Harry was already moving. He wouldn't get another chance.

Karkaroff saw his primary enemy flicker out of sight. The boy was fast, freakishly so, able to literally vanish at with high speed movement in the moment of distraction the girl had provided. Karkaroff couldn't follow his movement, but his wand barely an inch until it was aimed at the girl and an exploding hex jumped from his wand. The hex had been cast in anger and Karkaroff internally sighed as he realized the girl would be dead, an unfortunate but necessary causality. But then his spell was blocked by Victor's shield and Karkaroff felt a deadly presence behind him.

The killing and deadly intent in the magic laced strike would have paralyzed a lesser wizard in fear, but Karkaroff had not idled since turning traitor to Voldemort in 1981. He had realized how outclassed he was in some of the battles between top Death Eaters and Dumbledore's militia and had left Europe, searching for ways to grow stronger. He had settled in Iran and had learned about magical martial arts. Most masters turned him away, some due to age and others due to temperament. But eventually he found a Krav Maga master who taught him how to blend his magic and physical skills, and after two years Igor Karkaroff returned to his homeland with physical magic skills that wowed the Durmstrang board, allowing him to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts Post, followed shortly by Headmaster.

The boy must have trained hard to gain his speed. The power radiating out of him was impressive, and any of Karkaroff's physical attacks would have laid low any other student, but the Hogwarts boy was tough. But he was impatient, and even though he must have thought he was safe in his blind angle, Karkaroff could feel the killing intent behind the blow. He simply slipped out of the way, angled his fist, and as he felt the blow flash past him Karkaroff struck back.

As his fist hit Harry's skin the Death Eater felt the skin ripple and to his surprise his closed fist pierced the flesh. His attack took his face to face with Harry but instead of pain, shock, anger, of any of the emotions he would have expected with impending death he saw a slight smile as Karkaroff's hand exploded through his back. Then a searing pain flared through him.

Victor watched in horror as Harry seemed to vanish and his headmaster brought his wand to bear on his girlfriend. The danger to Luna jerked him out of his state of shock at her bravery, and he silently cast his most powerful shield, catching Karkaroff's spell inches from Luna's chest. He saw a flicker of movement and turned his head to see Karkaroff's hand explode from Harry's chest and he heard Luna cry out.

Harry almost seemed to smile as his body sagged to the floor, and then the hall exploded into light. Victor's eyes went wide as he saw his headmaster twitching on the ground his limbs askew his hair wild, as magic seemed to arc through his body. Surprisingly it looked an awful lot like Harry's specialty magic. A wave of sorrow went through Victor as he looked next to his headmaster to where Harry's body had fallen. Shock was the closest sensation as Victor saw only space.

"Whew." Luna shrieked in excitement as she threw her arms around Harry. With anyone else, Victor would have been fuming. Even in normal circumstances he would not have been thrilled to see his girlfriend throw herself around another boy, even Harry. But for all intensive purposes, Harry had just returned from the dead.

"How?" Victor asked as Harry helped him to his feet. Luna took the opportunity to bury herself in his chest, and Victor could feel her still shaking. "I saw his fist explode through your body."

"Well, it did in a sense," Harry said with a smile.

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

February, 1994

"So why do you do it?" Harry asked his master. He had been stewing over the question for a day. His training was usually harsher when he was stuck on a question, but the last few hours he had only been knocked into unconsciousness once, an odd trend. For a moment Harry wondered if Nambung was feeling sick. Could his master even get sick?

"You know about apparition and portkeys?" Nambung asked. Harry nodded. "Even for me, flashing has a bit of a time delay. Apparition, although disorientating is instantaneous. So why do I only flash?" His master asked.

"That's just repeating the question."

"No ideas?" Nambung teased. Harry fixed him with a death stare. "So, I guess a demonstration is in order then." Harry whipped his wand out and trained it on Nambung. He was more than used to demonstrations at this point. "Only apparition, ok?" His master didn't wait for confirmation but sent two blue bolts at Harry, who managed to deflect them. Usually Nambung didn't leave openings when they sparred, so Harry took the invitation and apparated away. Until he landed in the exact same spot.

Harry groaned and opened his eyes. He looked at the amused eyes of his teacher. Nambung offered Harry a hand up. Harry saw that off to the side Li-Min was holding back a smile as well. It took Harry a few more seconds for his mind to wake up and process what had happened.

"You stunned me in the same spot," Harry said slowly. "Even though I apparated."

"Harry, my lightning boosts my power, but there are lots of ways to boost power. If my specialty magic was just to convert magic into a physical form, it wouldn't be that special. That's what certain spells do. Aguamenti creates water, and incendio creates fire. I'm just creating lightning."

"I couldn't apparate," Harry said to himself. "Your spell hit me, and I couldn't apparate …because my magic wasn't working. That's what your lightning does!"

"Li keeps underestimating you," Nambung said as his second in command handed over a galleon. "When I summon lightning, either to flash, fire the railgun, or any other type of specialty spell, the overall magical content is the same as anything else. Except for 1 thing, the refinement."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Most magic looses some potency when being asked to perform a task. You are asking magic to summon an animal, change a structure, turn heat into fire, etc…" Nambung explained. "But the lightning spells you are adapting from me cuts through other magic. I flash because there are no wards that can stop it. Right now, your railgun pierces shields because it is weak. Eventually, it will stop someone from using magic for a time."

"So hypothetically, you could stop someone from using magic for an hour if you hit them with a concentrated burst?" Harry was excited by the possibility.

"I can, because it's natural to me," Nambung added. Harry nodded. "But so far, you have learned two natural forms of lightening. Flashing is necessary to start using attack and defense spells, and the railgun is the easiest and least dangerous spell. But you have made exceptional progress in solidifying your magic and converting physical strength into magical energy. So I'm going to teach you one more thing."

Nambung motioned for Harry stand across from him. They both raised their wands, and Harry jumped back, knocking away two spells. He felt an odd pulse of magic from his master, and then felt immense pressure behind him. His master had disappeared, but Harry could feel the bloodlust and power coming at speed from behind him, so he raised his wand and kicked backwards, following it up with two severing hexes that sailed through Nambung's body. When his foot connected with the body, he felt an electric shock travel up his body.

"Lightning clone," Nambung explained later when Harry awoke again. "A concentrated amount of killing intent pushed into a magical clone of magic. Unless your opponent is a master they will naturally react and attack, and the intense dose of lightning magic knocks them out and disables their magic. High risk, but high reward. The best magic I can teach you at the moment. You up for the task?"

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

April, 1995

Harry opened the infirmary door, leaving it open for Victor who was levitating an unconscious Karkaroff.

"Sorry Madam Pomfrey, I-" Harry stopped as he looked at the chaos in the infirmary. "Um, What"?

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

"I have to take care of the 7th floor," Harry said. "Grandma, go help Cedric. He is in a serious fight too."

"What about the powerful martial artist?" Minerva fretted.

"Don't worry." Harry took a deep breath, and Minerva and Dumbledore rocked back. Harry always radiated more power than most, but now raw magic was rolling off him, in truly seismic amounts. "I'm a pretty powerful magical martial artist as well. This person isn't the only one who has to unlock to fight seriously" Harry allowed his magic to flow around his body once to loosen him up, and then bounded down the corridor at top speed.

Daphne was walking to dinner when she sensed it behind her. She turned and held back a smile as she saw Malfoy with a few older Slytherin's behind him filling out of the hallway to confront her. It wasn't a surprise that the Slytherin's would eventually confront her about leaving the house. She was just surprised it took them so long.

"You had potential Greengrass," Malfoy said. "Shame you decided to side with blood traitors. When the dark lord returns…"

"Spare me your posturing," Daphne said, grabbing a glowing parchment from her pocket. Draco palled and took a step back. "Oh, you recognize this?"

"How did you get that?" Draco snarled.

"Harry doesn't need a contract to put you in your place. I suggested to him that you were most likely to use that kind of language around me, and he was happy to lend me the contract. I believe blood-traitors is one of the phrases that activates the contract." Draco's eyes were terrified. "I guess that means if I press my wand on the contract it activates. Wouldn't that cause you to lose your magic?"

"Enough." To Daphne's surprise, she saw Adrian Pucey standing forward. He was one of the stronger spellcasters in the house, but he had never struck Daphne as a blood-purist or someone who would scrape to Malfoy. She saw Warrington and Montague, both decent spellcasters along as well. Apparently Malfoy had some serious muscle. "Your information was good Davis. Get going." Daphne's heart sank as she saw Tracey nod from the back of the pack.

"Sorry Daphne." Tracey didn't look sorry in the slightest and Daphne lowered her wand slowly. The contract stopped glowing as Daphne counted 11 Slytherins as her ex-best friend left after a kiss on the cheek from her boyfriend

"I don't think Harry would appreciate you interfering in his contract."

"Potter is occupied elsewhere," Warrington said, and the three older years spread in a semi-circle around her. "You give us the contract, and we promise we won't leave any permanent bruises. Resist, and I can't make any promises."

"Harry risked his life for this contract," Daphne said, stowing the parchment. She was closer to the stairs then any of the other students. Even if it was just the three older years she might have been able to escape. If she gave up the contract, hopefully she would be left alone. Harry probably would understand. But the look in Malfoy's eyes gave her pause. She could give up the contract and most of the students would probably leave. But the ones who followed Malfoy even when there was no house pride on the line would remain, and Daphne would have no way of holding them back.

"Don't be stupid Greengrass," Pucey said. "You are all alone?"

"Oh, you mean you haven't heard about Badgers?" A familiar voice called out, and Daphne turned to see Cedric behind her. "We tend to be a close pack."

"Badgers protect their own," Daphne felt Susan and Hannah on her right. Cedric's best friend Jason was next to Cedric, and both of them drew their wands as Warrington drew his.

"Your turn to not be stupid," Cedric shot back. "You pick a fight with me, you pick a fight with all of Hufflepuff."

"I can live with that," Warrington said, and to everyone's surprise a spell shot from his wand. Jason stepped forward and shielded the spell. There was a second of silence, and then the corridor broke out into wild spellfire. Cedric and Jason went back to back instantly, covering the entire length of the hall with shields. Susan and Hannah dragged Daphne back into a doorframe as the two older Hufflepuffs were forced to retreat under heavy fire and split to either side of the hallway.

"They are not joking Ced," Jason yelled over the noise of spellfire as he emerged from cover to fire two serious looking hexes, which impacted on shields across from him. He had to jump back behind a wall as a few dark bolts flew at him.

"No, they aren't," Cedric shouted back with a smile. "And it's only a matter of time." Cedric whirled out from his own cover and with a twirl of his wand the stone floor erupted to become a wall, infused with magic power. It would last for at least a few seconds, courtesy of special training with Akira Hayashi "Time for us to clear out. Susan why don't you guys get going? Jason and I can take up the rear."

"One problem," Hannah said as she pointed down the hallway that would have been their escape. Cedric groaned internally as he identified a few older Slytherins. He was ashamed to admit he had not been training as hard as he could over the past month, and it was coming back to rest at his feet. He was already starting to become winded after only a few minutes of fighting, and instead of instantly running he had allowed his friends to get pinned in. Susan, Hannah, and Daphne were ok in a fight, but he wouldn't ask them to push through multiple older students.

The wall he had transfigured came smashing down and Warrington and Pucey were the first through the wall. Now they were well and truly surrounded. The 5 Hufflepuffs drew into a tight circle. There was only one way forward, which was to punch through the weak fighters and hope help was nearby. Cedric sighted his wand on Malfoy's two gorillas. Cedric felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Daphne shake her head.

"Fine. I give you the contract, and you leave?" Daphne asked. Pucey looked contemplative, but then Montague stepped forward.

"Not enough anymore. Turns out the badgers need to learn what happens when you stand against the snakes."

"Montague,"

"Enough Adrian," Warrington snapped. "Give us the contract, and we'll leave you with all your limbs."

"Excuse me," a voice called, and someone emerged from a nearby classroom. Every eye was on Dean Thomas as he balefully looked over the combatants. "I was reaching a critical stage of my experiments, and I already received permission to use this part of the floor, so if you could go elsewhere for the time being, I would appreciate it."

"This is none of your concern," Malfoy snapped. Warrington raised a hand and Malfoy took a step back.

"You are interfering with my experiment. If you leave, then I don't care much, but I need you to leave promptly and quickly, if you don't mind all that much." The Slytherin contingent looked confused by how matter of fact Dean was. He looked totally unconcerned by 15 drawn and hostile wands.

"Walk away," Montague snarled. "And maybe we won't hunt you down after this." Dean cocked an eye at that.

"I don't much care for any of this," Dean said slowly. "But can I assume from your belligerence that you do not intend to leave?" Without waiting for a response he whirled to Daphne. "Daphne, if I remove these green menaces can you and your housemates go and leave me in peace?" Daphne nodded dumbly. "Wonderful."

"Remove us?" Warrington took half a step forward before dropping, courtesy of a blindingly fast and silent stunning spell from Dean who stepped in between the larger group of students and the Hufflepuffs.

"If you could all attack at once so we could finish this quickly?" Dean asked. Once again the hall was silent for a moment before erupting in spellfire, this time all aimed at Dean. Cedric rushed forward to help him, but before he could even cast a covering shield Dean had dodged three attacks and deflected another four into people who couldn't fit into the narrow corridor. 16 attackers were already 12, and Dean started walking towards the large group, totally unconcerned.

Minerva burst into the hall her wand raised and stopped as she saw a 5th year Slytherin girl groaning on the ground. She walked forward slowly and saw Slytherin students of 4th year and up littered all over the ground. Some were stunned, some were petrified, and a few more had slightly more serious injuries.

"What happened here?" Minerva heard the half-goblin charms professor ask from behind her. "Albus told me I needed to get here to stop fighting in the halls. Minerva, did you do this?"

"It wasn't me Filius," Minerva said. Cedric was sitting in front of a door, and Minerva marched up to him. "Mr. Diggory, what happened here?"

"Well, we were outnumbered until Dean showed up. Daphne had Malfoy's contract from the fight with Harry a month ago." Cedric shook his head. "They couldn't touch him. Every spell they threw at him he redirected right back at them. He left saying he needed someone quieter to do his experiments."

"Dean like Dean Thomas?" Filius pressed.

"One and the same," Jason confirmed, emerging from the classroom. "He was a demon with the wand."

"Well, we best get the students to the infirmary." Filius and Minerva started binding the Slytherin students together and floating them in groups. Along with the five Hufflepuffs, who all had at least a few scratches the group made their way to the infirmary. The massive amount of wounded had Madam Pomfrey up in stiches as she tried to take care of the worst injuries first. There were a few older Slytherins who looked distinctly unwell. Cedric claimed that Dean had claimed that he only returned dangerous spells to people who cast dangerous spells at him. It all gave Minerva a giant headache as she assisted the Hogwarts healer in stabilizing the 6th year female prefect suffering from a nasty freeze burn. If there was any doubt that Dean was a prodigy, it would be gone now.

"Sorry Madam Pomfrey, I-" Harry stopped as he looked at the chaos in the infirmary. "Um, What"? He looked around and saw the majority of the older students from Slytherin laid out on beds.

"Harry, is that headmaster Karkaroff?" Minerva asked tiredly, pointing at the man Harry was levitating. Her grandson nodded. "Just put him on a bed."

"Well, one rogue attack is odd." Harry stuck Karkaroff to a bed and cast a few spells at him. "Is tow at the same coincidence?" The door opened and Harry saw Fleur walk in with Hermione and Neville. They all had some kind of wounds. "You guys too?"

_-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-_

"I have to take care of the 7th floor," Harry said. "Grandma, go help Cedric. He is in a serious fight too."

"What about the powerful martial artist?" Minerva fretted.

"Don't worry." Harry took a deep breath, and Minerva and Dumbledore rocked back. Harry always radiated more power than most, but now raw magic was rolling off him, in truly seismic amounts. "I'm a pretty powerful magical martial artist as well. This person isn't the only one who has to unlock to fight seriously" Harry allowed his magic to flow around his body once to loosen him up, and then bounded down the corridor at top speed.

Fleur and Hermione did not usually spar much. Their lessons with Flitwick was a lot of repetition against training dummies and the charms master who seemed impossible to hit most of the time. But Fleur had floated the idea of a spar between the two of them before leaving on Saturday, and Hermione had accepted. So the two were facing off near the Beauxbatons carriages after classes on Monday.

It was a quick first bout. Hermione knew an awful lot of spells, but Fleur was three years older, stronger, faster, and more experienced. It took all of thirty seconds for Hermione to end up bound and trussed on the ground, her wand in the triumphant Veela's hand. Fleur helped Hermione up, and the English girl managed to keep her temper in check as she reluctantly praised Fleur.

"As strong as Harry is, I was selected by the Goblet of Fire for Beauxbatons" Fleur consoled Hermione. "You have gotten much stronger since February, as have I. Did you truly expect to win?"

"I wouldn't have agreed to fight if I didn't think I had a chance."

"Oh, so the tournament was too tough, so you resorted to beating up little girls?" Fleur turned to see Maxwell and a few of his friends staring at her and Hermione. Maxwell had barely made a sound since Harry had broken his jaw after the first task. He had made a few insulting comments during January, but when Harry returned one glare from her boyfriend had sent Maxwell scuttling back into his hole.

"This little girl could beat you easily enough," Fleur retorted. She believed it too. Hermione was an accomplished witch, certainly more versatile and talented than she was at age 15. Maxwell wasn't a particularly accomplished wizard, even if he knew a few dark curses.

"Oh really?"

"Really." Fleur and Hermione turned to see Neville behind them. "Uh guys, some crazy shit is going down in the castle right now. We need to go back, like now."

"What?"

"Rumor is that a fight broke out between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. And-" Neville seemed to blur and appeared in front of them, catching two spells from Maxwell's friends on a shield. "What are you doing?"

"She has poisoned the school against us, and she disgraces us with her actions," Maxwell sneered. "We are getting revenge." It was six on three and the element of surprise was on the side of the Beauxbatons students. As Fleur would describe later, it wasn't much of a fair fight. Fleur in January might have frozen. But Fleur had spent three months gearing up for such an occasion

She stepped past Neville and a few cutting and blasting hexes flew from her spell. One of the cutting hexes left a deep laceration on one student and another was sent flying by a blasting hex. They returned fire but Hermione and Neville were already at her side casting shields. Neville even managed to silently deflect a particularly powerful bludgeoner back at the attacker.

Fleur was a blur of movement as she attacked. Spell after spell poured from her wand, part instinct and part natural talent. Flitwick's relentless training had helped Hermione, but it was Fleur who truly benefited from the training. There was no more hesitation in her movements and every spell was part of a chain that inevitably ended with a disabled opponent. All in all in took a few minutes but with Neville and Hermione working in concert to shield her Fleur was able to disable all of the opponents but Maxwell.

"Something is wrong," Fleur whispered as Maxwell was waving his arms and ranting. He was always intolerable, but now he looked totally insane. He was even frothing a bit at the mouth. He raised his wand and a beam of dark light shot from the wand. Neville just shoved the girls out of the way and danced past the beam himself. Fleur heard Hermione hiss in surprise and turned to see the beam had scorched a trench in the ground behind them where it had landed. The most dangerous spell Fleur had thrown was a cutting hex, and it was only aimed to incapacitate. Maxwell had just raised the stakes.

Maxwell raised his wand again and fired that same spell. Fleur and Hermione were forced into a wild dodge, as the beam was twice the size and Fleur felt the magic pass by her by inches. Once again Maxwell prepared to fire, but then his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped to the ground. Neville gave them a half smile from behind him.

"Turns out he wasn't prepared for the hit to the back of the head." Neville called. "What was that spell he threw at us?"

"I don't know," Fleur admitted.

"Me neither," Hermione agreed. "What is going on?"

"I have no idea," Neville said. "But for now, I think back to the castle." He looked down at a scratch on his arm. Fleur and Hermione didn't have any better ideas so the three of them raced to the infirmary. Hermione had a cut on the side of her face, and Fleur was limping a little, having twisted her knee from the second wild dodge, but the trio were mostly unharmed. They opened the infirmary door and were greeted by total chaos.

You guys too?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?" Fleur asked, taking her lover's hands in her own.

"They," Harry indicated the group of Hufflepuffs "were attacked by half of Slytherin. Luckily Dean was nearby to help out. Victor and Luna," Harry removed his other hand from Fleur's to indicate the couple talking quietly in the corner "had to deal with Karkaroff. I arrived just in time and," Harry titled his head at the unconscious headmaster.

"My love, you are wounded!" Fleur cried, realizing that Harry was covered in wounds.

"Nothing a day of rest won't heal," Harry said, laying a calming arm on hers. "What happened to you?"

"Some Beauxbatons students went crazy and attacked us," Neville explained.

"The last one standing cast a really dangerous spell," Hermione finished. "It was digging furrows into the ground." Harry stood up and looked around. "Harry?"

"Something is wrong," Harry said. Every conscious eye was on Harry as he raced towards the far wall. "Shields up!" Shields sprung up around the hospital as the far wall exploded into pieces. Chunks of masonry and broken tables shot across the infirmary, impacting on different magical shields. Harry, in front of most of the other students, managed to get a big enough shield up to dissolve most of the shrapnel and absorb the majority of the concussive force. "Everyone ok?"

He wasn't even sure if he heard it correctly. It was a deep thrum that he barely heard, followed by an air splitting hiss he had only heard a few times. Harry's eyes picked up the arrow shaft at 20 feet away and it was all too simple to begin the process of stepping out of the way of the laughable attempt. But at 10 feet he realized with horrible clarity that was sure to be someone behind him.

A burst of magic surged through Harry and his hand seemed to snake through the air and just as the point of the arrow surged past his head, his fingers curled around the shaft of the arrow and with a quick twist Harry snapped the arrow, stopping its momentum. Harry moved to the gaping hole in the wall but couldn't make out the archer, though he did see an indistinct blur of movement a few hundred yards away.

The door to the infirmary burst open and Dumbledore snapped his wand quickly. The infirmary wall started to piece itself back together and Snape was right behind him. Dumbledore looked as harried as Harry felt. There were sure to be some inquests regarding the madness that was today, and Harry allowed himself to sympathize with the old headmaster.

"Harry?" The green-eyed wizard looked down at Luna, who was standing in front of him. "What's that on your hand"

"Huh?" Harry looked down at the hand that had snapped the arrow and saw a small drop of grey liquid slowly seeping into his hand. "Nothing to worry about. I think that…" Harry's voice trailed off as the world around him seemed to spin and he lurched. "I don't know."

"Harry?" Hermione asked, looking at him in concern. Harry tried to flash a smile to show he was fine, but the strength fled from his legs and Harry slumped to the floor.

"I think," Harry started, but couldn't go on. Speech was labored, and he felt more tired than ever before. "I might be in trouble." A bright blue burst sped around Harry's body, and then he keeled over. Just before he hit the ground he heard some shouts, but he was simply too tired to care.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked as Minerva levitated Harry to a freshly conjured bed.

"I saw a weird liquid on the hand that caught the arrow," Luna told him. "Something was wrong with Harry. His magic felt wrong."

"Wrong?" Dumbledore pressed. He reached out for Luna, but his hand was stopped by Victor Krum.

"Luna, sweetie, what are you talking about?"

"The liquid you saw," Snape asked. "What color was it?"

"Grey I think," Luna said. Snape seemed to visibly recoil.

"Severus?" Dumbledore asked. "What is it?"

"The boy, he glowed blue before collapsing," Severus muttered. A few heads nodded. The potions master seemed to straighten and he hastily exited the room. Dumbledore looked totally confused, still trying to consider the madness was the infirmary at the moment. He seemed to straighten, making a decision as he followed the potions master out.

"Madam Pomfrey, if we might prevail on a book of poisons from you," Victor said. "It seems Harry was poisoned, and it might well be up to us to cure him." Harry started to thrash on his bed. "And it looks like me may not have a lot of time.


End file.
